


For You

by rocketscientist07



Category: Bloodbound (Visual Novel)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/F, Gen, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-06-18 10:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15483414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rocketscientist07/pseuds/rocketscientist07
Summary: Takes place after Book 1. Before Gaius’ return the gang must face a dangerous new enemy, a powerful vampire hunter who is thirsty for their blood. *SEQUEL: Without You - Check my profile to read it*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- My apologies if Priya sounds too OOC. Writing her was the most difficult part for me.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and kudos are always appreciated.

**Amy**

The magazine said “ _when you move in together, you’ll get to know your partner deepest secrets_ ”. Not for Amy. Still laying in bed, she sighed in frustration.   
She had been dating Kamilah for three months. At first, they barely saw each other. Kamilah had no time. She missed most of their dates and rarely answered phone calls, until the day Amy decided to end their relationship. Kamilah promised she’d try to work less and asked her to move in to her penthouse, it was the only possible way they could spend more time together.  
 _“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Amy asked.  
“Yes,” Kamilah said, “I don’t wanna lose you.” _  
Two weeks had passed since this decision and Amy still didn’t know a thing about the woman sleeping next to her. She needed to be patient. It takes time to build trust. Kamilah was different from everyone else she had dated. But damn, she was definitely worth it.   
Kamilah was usually the one to wake up first. However, after a difficult night, she was still asleep that morning. The only thing Amy had learned about Kamilah so far was that she struggled with nightmares. Terrifying memories would haunt her in her sleep and she’d often wake up, panting and shaking.   
She’d never tell Amy what she dreamed about.  
“ _I can’t remember,_ ” she lied everytime.  
Amy noticed a pattern. Sometimes she’d mutter words in an unknown language and she assumed she was dreaming about her brother, Lysimachus, and her mortal life in the Ancient Egypt. But sometimes she’d say  _his_  name. Gaius. And that’s when she truly seemed terrorized.  
Until now Kamilah hadn’t told her much about her deceased brother or her maker. Everytime Amy mentioned either of them, Kamilah would look away and get silent, until she changed the subject. She decided to respect her girlfriend’s choice.  
Amy was preparing the breakfast when she felt Kamilah’s arms around her. Her touch was protective, but soft. It sent eletric impulses through all her body.  
“You weren’t in bed when I woke up,” Kamilah complained.  
“Good morning to you too, Kamilah.”  
Amy turned around and pressed her lips on her girlfriend’s.  
“Are these pancakes for me?” Kamilah asked, looking at the table where Amy had placed a plate of pancakes.  
“No, these are mine. Yours are almost ready.”  
Amy placed another plate with a small pile of pancakes in front of her. With strawberry jam, she had drawn a smiley face on them.  
“Why did you draw a smiley face on my pancakes?”  
“To make your day happier,” Amy joked. “Wait, there’s one detail missing.”  
She added fangs to the smiley face.  
Kamilah rolled her eyes, trying to hide a smile.  
Amy giggled and sat on the chair next to hers. She observed Kamilah in silence for a minute before clearing her throat.  
“So…” she took a bite of her breakfast. “You had nightmares again last night.”  
“I did?” Kamilah answered after some hesitation.  
“Yes and you didn’t spoke Egyptian this time. You said  _his_  name.”  
“Whose name?”   
“Gaius.”  
“I can’t remember, sorry.”  
Kamilah looked away, avoiding eye contact with Amy.  
“What happened to Gaius, Kamilah?” Amy insisted.  
Kamilah didn’t answer.  
“Is Gaius still alive?”  
“Would you please stop asking about him, Amy?”   
“Why?!” Amy confronted. “I don’t understand why you and Adrian have to be so secretive about your past and… this guy!”  
When she looked at Kamilah, she was tense. She pushed the plate away, indicating she didn’t feel like eating anymore.  
“I’m sorry,” Amy apologized. “I said I wouldn’t pressure you and…”

Kamilah closed her eyes and sighed, trying to recompose herself.

“No. I understand you have a lot of questions regarding my past, Amy. I’ll tell you everything when the time comes. I promise.”  
Amy smiled and placed her hand on top of hers.  
“ _I suck,_ ” she thought.   
Everytime Kamilah seemed to be finally feeling comfortable around her, she did something to ruin it. And there was still another question she wanted to ask.  
“Kamilah,” she announced. “Can I ask you something else?”  
“Here we go.”  
“You’re not going to work until late hours tonight, right?”  
“I don’t think so. Why?”  
“Lily got some tickets for this concert and I really wanted to go. With you.”  
“Oh.”  
“I know you hate crowded places, loud music… it’s okay if you don’t want to go, we can go somewhere else.”  
“I’m going with you.”  
“Really?!”  
Kamilah nodded in agreement.

”Thank you!”  
Amy sat on her lap and kissed her passionately. She felt Kamilah’s hand going under her shirt, her fingers caressing her back. while she softly bit her lower lip.  
“Oh my god,” Amy attempted to pull away, “I’m going to be late for work again.”  
Kamilah held her by the waist, preventing her from getting up.  
“When are you going to start working for me, huh?” She whispered in Amy’s ear.  
“I’m going to talk to Adrian, just give me a few days. Besides, I don’t think it’s a good idea… I could distract you.”  
“You wouldn’t.”  
“Really?” Amy teased. “Not even if I do this?”  
She placed another kiss on Kamilah’s lips.  
“Or this?”  
She kissed the way down to her neck.  
Kamilah’s cell phone started ringing. She extended her hand to grab it.  
“No,” she told Amy, smiling playfully and answering the call.  
Amy gave her some privacy, from the bedroom she still could hear the conversation.  
“Adrian, hi…” Kamilah said. “What?! Are you sure?!”  
Problems in The Council, Amy imagined. Kamilah wouldn’t admit it, but she was worried about The Baron trying to get a revenge against her. Sometimes she’d act even a little overprotective.  
“Okay Adrian,” Kamilah finished. “I’ll be there tonight.”  
Tonight. Did it mean Kamilah was going to cancel their plans again?   
“Amy?” Kamilah entered the room. “I’m sorry but…”  
“That’s okay, Kamilah. I heard it.”  
Kamilah sat next to her on bed, noticing her disappointment.  
“We can go out tomorrow.”  
“Yeah… What was it about anyways?”  
“Priya requested an emergency meeting tonight.”  
“Who?!” Amy asked suprised. “Knowing her, it’s hard to believe it’s something serious.”  
“I know, she probably killed someone  _accidentally_  again.”  
Amy got up, heading to the bathroom with an upset look on her face.  
“Maybe she did.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
 **Kamilah**

The nightmares about Gaius returning were not most frightening part of Kamilah’s night, but what came minutes later. After drinking some water, she came back to bed and when she was about to fall asleep, Amy wrapped her arm around her waist and whispered:   
 _“I love you.”_  
Maybe they were going too fast. Kamilah had no idea how modern relationships worked, she was still trying to figure out.   
Amy changed her world completely. She had to deal with things she’d never accept for anybody else. Her penthouse was a complete mess, with Amy’s clothes and belongings spread everywhere. She also had to deal with video game nights with Lily and Amy long showers. She found a solution for the second issue, if Amy was taking too long all she had to do was to join her. The showers would get even longer but… enjoyable. Kamilah smiled.  
She had no right to complain. Amy tolerated her usual negativity and her busy schedule. She accepted her decision of not talking about her past and the fact they couldn’t go out in the sunlight. Above anything, she was willing do anything to make Kamilah happy.  
Love demands hope and a letting go of the self. Amy’s feelings were true but, were they mutual?  
Kamilah had never felt something so intense before. She wondered if that was how love really felt like. She wasn’t sure yet.   
She looked at the clock. It was almost time for the Council meeting.  
When she arrived at Raines Corporation she ran her eyes across the empty lobby, looking for signs of Amy. She wanted to apologize for not being able to attend the concert but she was already gone.  
“Looking for your human pet?” The Baron spoke, before entering Adrian’s conference room.   
Kamilah scowled at him.  
“I’d like to see if she’d act so tough without you or Adrian around.”  
“If you dare to touch her I’m going to kill you in the most painful way I can think of.”  
“Maybe you should put her on a leash then,” he laughed sarcastically.  
Kamilah clenched her fists and her eyes turned red.  
“Ignore it,” Adrian appeared by her side. “He’s only trying to get into you.”  
“Bastard.”  
Before the meeting started Kamilah texted Amy, asking her to return her calls as soon as possible. Priya was the last one to arrive. Poorly dressed, she had bags under her eyes and a scarf around her neck, intended to hide something. The other Council members exchanged glances, looking for an answer.  
“Shall we start?” Kamilah asked.  
Priya nodded in confirmation.  
“You requested an emergency meeting, so I assume it’s important.”  
“Indeed,” Priya removed the scarf around her neck to reveal a bite mark. “Take a look at this!”  
“Please, explain,” Kamilah ordered, not taking her seriously.  
“There was this VIP event in Amsterdam and mama thought she had found a new boy toy for her collection… He was compelling, sexy, delicious… different from all the others. Oh and he was kinky! Very kinky!”  
“Do we really need to hear that?” Jax complained.  
“Proceed,” Lester demanded. “We need details.”  
Kamilah gave him a look of disapproval.  
“It was all going well… and hot…” Priya continued. “Until he sank his fangs into my neck!”  
“Okay, he was a vampire too,” Adrian concluded.  
Kamilah rolled her eyes.  
“He drained my blood. Twice! Then he tortured me in so many different ways and…”  
“So you requested an emergency meeting to talk about some kinky vampire?” Kamilah interrogated, ironically.  
“He’s a vampire hunter, Kamilah!” Priya shouted. “He kills vampires after feeding from them.”  
“Well, you’re still alive.”  
“Yes, he let me live but… we kinda made a deal. This is why I requested this meeting.”  
“What was the deal?”  
“He wanted to know Gaius’ whereabouts.”  
“Don’t tell me you…” Kamilah said.  
“He was going to kill me!”  
“Do you have any idea of what you did?! You’ve put all our lives…”  
Adrian placed a hand on Kamilah’s shoulder, trying to calm her down.  
“I’ll check the sarcophagus. Maybe this vampire hunter is not even in New York yet.”  
“He also said he’s coming after all of us,” Priya added. “I didn’t give him your names but…”  
“Let him come,” The Baron punched the table. “I’m going to get out here. I have something else to do…”  
He looked straight at Kamilah, with a devilish smirk on his face.  
“It has been three days and this bite hasn’t healed,” Priya cried. “I think I’m turning into a feral.”  
“Let me check,” Kamilah approached her. The bite looked nasty, in fact. She pricked her finger tip and pressed her blood against the wound. For some reason, it started to look worse.  
“What are you doing?!” Priya screamed. “Stop! Stop! It burns.”  
“What?!” Kamilah shared a concerned look with Adrian, who came closer to examine the mark.  
“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” he said. “Priya, come to Raines Laboratories tomorrow to have this injury checked.”  
After ending the meeting, Kamilah tried to call Amy again. It went straight to her voicemail.  
“Go after her,” Adrian suggested. “I can go to the library myself.”  
“Are you sure?”   
Adrian nodded nervously.  
“If you need me…”  
“I know,” he smiled to Kamilah in response.  
“Do you think she was serious?” Jax asked outside Adrian’s building.  
“Maybe,” Kamilah answered. “But I’ve deal with Vampire Hunters before, pup. There’s nothing to worry about.”  
“Are you sure? Because you look worried. Is it about Gaius?”  
“No, I’m worried about Amy.”  
“I heard The Baron’s threats. Do you know where she is?”  
“She was supposed to be at some concert tonight. But she’s not answering my calls.”  
“I think I know where it is, I’ll give you the directions.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
 **Amy**

Amy was at the concert but her mind was somewhere else. She wouldn’t stop thinking about Kamilah and how much she wanted her to be there. She couldn’t force herself to enjoy the music, all she wanted was to have her girlfriend around and assure her she was okay with her late night meetings. She needed to apologize for being so selfish earlier.  
She reached for her phone inside her pocket, there was a lot of texts and missed calls from Kamilah. Something serious must have happened at the meeting. She had a bad feeling about that.  
“Lily? I’m going outside,” Amy told.   
“What?” Lily asked, barely listening.  
“Kamilah is calling me.”  
“Come on, Amy. Can’t you just enjoy a night with your best friend?”  
“It must be important.”  
Outside, Amy tried to call Kamilah back but her phone had no signal.  
“Please…” she insisted, attempting to dial once more. “Come on…”  
She was typing a text when she heard a male voice. A handsome black-haired man was coming in her direction.  
“Kate!” The male hugged her. “Were you waiting for me, baby?”  
Amy widened her eyes in surprise.  
“First, I’m not Kate,” Amy whispered in his ear. “Second, take your hands off me right now or I’m going to scream.”  
“That would be a shame, girl. Because you’d attract the attention of those two thugs across the street. They were coming for you, while you were too distracted texting your boyfriend.”  
“Oh,” Amy turned her head. She easily recognized the men from The Shrike. They worked for The Baron. She needed to take a better look to tell Kamilah later.   
Reluctantly, she hugged the male figure back. As soon as her hands touched him, her head started to spin. She felt she was being pulled into one of those visions. She was about to see a small part of his past when…   
“ _What are you doing?_ ” She could hear his voice, inside her mind. “ _Get back._ ”  
She opened her eyes and pulled away from him.  
“W-what…”  
He smirked.  
“So, do you recognize those men?”  
“Yeah, they work for The Baron,” Amy answered, still lightheaded from the vision, without realizing what she had just said.  
“Who’s The Baron?”  
“Uhhh… no one. I’m just…”  
She started to walk away.  
“Okay. Go back inside,” he said. “You’ll be safe.”  
“Wait… What’s your…”  
When Amy turned around he had vanished.  
“Weird.”  
Inside the concert venue, she dragged Lily to the bar and told her everything that had happened.  
“Do you think he was a vampire?”  
“I don’t know. He definitely wasn’t human.”  
“And he was handsome?”  
“Handsome and well-dressed.”   
“Kamilah will be so happy when she finds out some hot guy saved you…”  
“Lily! I could’ve died.”  
They both laughed. Amy looked nervously at her cellphone screen, waiting for signal. From the stage, the band singer announced:  
“The next song is dedicated to Ms…” he unfolded a small piece of paper, “Amy Parker.”  
“Wait. It’s you!” Lily exclaimed. “Who do you think…”  
Amy opened a broad smile and before she had any time to answer, she noticed Kamilah was standing behind her. She ran straight to her arms and kissed her deeply.  
“I was so worried about you, Kamilah. I tried to call you so many times… oh my god, you have no idea of what just happened…”  
“Slow down, little firefly,” Kamilah smiled. “One thing at once.”  
“Let’s go home, I…”  
“I thought you wanted to enjoy the concert. Together.”  
“Sure, it can wait.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
 **??????**

“ _Dinner is served,_ ” he thought while observing the two vampires outside the concert venue.  
They were alone. That was the perfect opportunity to strike. But then, he noticed… a girl across the street. The vampire thugs were focused on her, they made comments about the things they intend to do with her… He clenched his fists in pure anger.

Despite not having any humanity left inside him, he felt an urge to protect her. He didn’t hate mortals. Vampires were the intruders in their world, and therefore, the only race that should be exterminated.

After she was back to the venue, he had a feast. He could have shown those men the worst side of him. What they had planned for the girl, he could do so much worse. But he wasn’t in the mood that night, something in New York City brought him a feeling of nostalgia and sorrow. He simply fed and cut their heads off with his sharp, glistening daggers.  
At the concert he was finally able to socialize. Play his best role of newly turned vampire, lost in the Big City. He met another male vampire who was willing to offer all the support he needed.  
“Of couse, man. Come with me to the Shadow Den, I’m pretty sure Jax will accept you as part of Clan Matsuo.”  
He grinned.  
 _“This is about to get really interesting.”_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.  
> \- Please don’t hate me yet :P

**Flashback - 3 weeks earlier:**

_Amy turned on the television but nothing was enough to keep her distracted, to prevent her from thinking about Kamilah. All she wanted was to forget about her, erase her completely from her mind. It was impossible, she knew. Kamilah Sayeed was unforgetable._  
Somebody knocked at the door. She wasn’t expecting any guests and Lily was spending the night at the Shadow Den. When she opened it, Kamilah was standing there. She wasn’t wearing a business outfit as usual, she was wearing jeans and a tank top.  
“Damn it,” Amy thought as soon as she laid her eyes on her. Even the most casual outfit made her look sexy as hell.   
“Amy…” Kamilah started to speak.  
“What are you doing here, Kamilah?” Amy interrupted. “I think I made very clear last night that we’re over.”  
“Please, can you at least hear what I have to say?”  
Amy looked deeply in her brown eyes. She had never seen that look before. Kamilah looked vulnerable, insecure, regretful. In the moment there were no walls, Kamilah’s human side was completely exposed. She was just like any other woman begging for a chance to apologize.  
“Okay,” Amy invited her in.  
She bit her lip nervously when Kamilah sat next to her on the couch, like if she already knew she wouldn’t be able to resist her.   
“Oh, these are for you,” Kamilah handed her a bouquet of white tulips.   
“Thank you,” Amy replied. “They’re wonderful.”  
“There’s a card too.”  
Amy noticed she looked down at the floor, blushing a little bit.  
“I tried to write many things but none of them expressed accurately my feelings for you,” she spoke. “I heard this song on the radio a few days ago, it made me think about us.”  
Amy opened the card and read:  


_“Then I see you standing there_  
_Wanting more from me_  
_But all I can do is try_  
_I’m all I’ll ever be  
_ _But all I can do is try”_

_“I’m sorry I left you waiting last night,” Kamilah apologized. “Truth is, I’m still getting used to this.”_  
“Kamilah, I…” Amy didn’t know what to say.  
“There’s one more thing,” she pulled a little black box from her pocket.  
“W-what…”  
Amy opened it and inside there was a keychain, with a single key.  
“What is that, Kamilah?”  
“Come live with me. It’s the only way we can spend more time together and… I’ll try to work less, I promise.”  
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Amy asked.  
“Yes,” Kamilah said, “I don’t wanna lose you.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Present Days:**

**Amy**

In front of the mirror, Amy admired herself and her stunningly beautiful dress. The dress Kamilah suprised her with, a couple of days earlier. Initially, she didn’t want to attend Priya’s fashion show, but after Amy insisted a lot she eventually agreed. It was not a good idea to leave her girlfriend alone with Priya, after all.

“Amy,” Kamilah opened the bedroom’s door. “Why are you taking so long?”

“I’m sorry, I…”

When she turned around, Kamilah’s eyes widened in suprise.

“Amy…” she opened a broad smile. “Oh my God, you…”

“What?” Amy looked at herself in the mirror again. “Is there anything wrong? Is it my hair?”

“No,” Kamilah wrapped her arms around Amy’s waist from behind. “You’re absolutely perfect.”

“Well, then we are. Look at you! I mean, you look gorgeous in everything you wear but this dress, this make-up… wow!”

“We’ll be the sexiest couple in that event.”

“I’m sure of this,” Amy grabbed her phone and snapped a picture of them.

“There will be a lot of journalists and photographers there, are you ready for this? It’s the first time I go to an event accompanied. Your face will be all over the news tomorrow.”

“Are you asking me if I’m ready for the world to know I’m Kamilah Sayeed’s girlfriend? You can bet I am!”

Amy smiled and pressed her lips on Kamilah’s. When she pulled away, Kamilah’s expression had changed.

“Before we go, there’s something I need to do,” she showed Amy an amulet with her Clan’s brand. “Would you let me brand you? It’s temporary, to protect you from The Baron’s thugs.”

“Of course,” Amy presented her forearm.

Kamilah warmed the amulet with a lighter and pressed against Amy’s wrist. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt so much as when Adrian branded her.

“Are you okay?” Kamilah healed the burn with her blood.

“Yes…” Amy answered, tracing the insignia with her finger, “I wish that was permanent though.”

“We can discuss this in another occasion. In the future.”

Amy nodded.

Kamilah sat on the bed, still with a serious and worried expression.

“Amy… there’s something else I need to tell you,” she sighed. “Remember the Council meeting last week?”

“Of course. Is it about the Vampire Hunter?”

“Not really… this whole Vampire Hunter story was a fraud. In exchange for her life, Priya gave him some confidential information. Information about Gaius.”

“What does it mean?”

“He has returned, Amy. Gaius has returned.”

“W-wait so he’s here… in New York?”

“He was trapped in a Sarcophagus inside the Museum’s library. When Adrian checked, after the meeting, he wasn’t there anymore. But he’s still in a disiccated state, it’ll take a while before he regains his true form. ”

“Kamilah, I’m so sorry. I… How are you feeling about this?”

“I’m okay. It’s about you I’m worried about. I’ll be the first person he’ll come after, seeking for revenge.”

“Why?”

“It’s time for you to know a part of my story.”

Kamilah told her everything that happened in the 1920’s. The Reaper virus, the rebellion against Gaius and how she was the one that took him down. When she finished, Amy squeezed her hand gently.

“You defeated him once, you can do it again. Besides, you have me by your side now. We’ll fight together.”

“He’s not like the Ferals or Vega… He…”

“We’ll fight together.”

Amy held her face and pulled her for a long and passionate kiss.

“You almost make me believe everything is going to be okay.”

“It’s a progress,” Amy chuckled. “There’s something I need to tell you too. I’ve been planning to say it for a while now, but I couldn’t find the right moment.”

“What is this?”

“Kamilah… I love you.”

Amy detected a trace of tension in her eyes. Kamilah looked astonished, she opened her mouth, trying to find an appropriate answer.

“I-I… Amy…”

“That’s okay, don’t feel forced to say anything right now. There will be one moment that you’ll just realize it, like it happened to me.”

“And what was that moment?”

“The day we fought, when you showed up at my door. In that moment I saw you. Not the vampire or the CEO, only you. Without walls or defenses, I saw who you truly are and how much we have in common. When you looked me in the eyes that day, I knew how much I loved you.”

“And you made me think you wasn’t going to forgive me!”

“I needed to punish you somehow!” Amy smiled playfully. “You left me waiting for 4 hours in a restaurant.”

Kamilah rolled her eyes and Amy kissed her cheek.

“We should go now,” Kamilah checked her watch, “unless you want to stay home instead of…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun! Adrian and Lily will be there too and…” Amy whispered in her ear. “We don’t really need to pay attention to the show.”

“Sounds better now.”

————————————————————————————————-

**??????**

He looked at the mirror, running his hand through his new 21st Century haircut. How did they call it again? Faux Hawk, that’s right.

Then he checked his new fake ID. Liam. Would he ever get used to that name?

But everything was going according to his plans. He examined a piece of paper he took out of his pocket;

“Priya… The Baron and… Jax,” he read. He knew the name of three of the six Council members. Three possible targets. Where he should aim first?

Jax would be his last target. Not only because he couldn’t blow his cover yet, but because he felt some sympathy for his clan members. Most of them were like him, turned without their consent and forced to live forever as something they hated to be, as demons. He liked to think of them as potential allies.

Priya was the best option at the moment. Through some other vampires at the Shadow Den, he found out she’d be throwing a fashion show to show off her new line. He also had personal business to deal with her.

“Hey Liam,” his new vampire friend interrupted him on his way out of the Shadow Den. “Where are you going?”

Still not used to his new identity, he took a while to respond.

“I have a date tonight,” he said, with a fake smile on his face.

“You didn’t mention having a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, we’re only… getting to know each other.”

“Good luck, man!”

He waved goodbye and followed to an old warehouse he bought from Clan Matsuo. They had become useless now they didn’t have to hide anymore. He made his offer, with the excuse he needed a new building for his company, Thanos Technologies.

“ _What do you develop?_ ” The other vampires asked.

“ _Computer stuff,_ ” he lied.

In the secret basement, a team of seven vampire hunters from every part of the world, waited for him. They were working hard, crafting different types of weapons.

“Sir,” a young red-headed woman greeted him. “Everything’s ready for tonight. We’re just waiting for your orders.”

That was Zoe, his most loyal partner. She lost her family to vampires when she was only a child. She had grown under his protection and became one of the most skilled vampire hunters in the world. She was the only one to know his real name, his story.

“Good, Zoey,” he spoke. “Sit down, I’m going to explain my plan.”

Liam stood in front of a large screen, displaying a map of The Crimson Veil.

“Ladies and gentleman, my  _friend_  Priya Lacroix will be throwing a fashion show tonight. As we know, she’ll have some  _guests_.”

“Bloodsuckers,” one of the hunters added.

“Exactly. We’re in an unknown territory, we have no idea how powerful the famous Council of New York can be, so we’re going in three members only. Me, Zoe and Henrik.”

Henrik was his second strongest partner. He was also responsible for designing new and powerful weapons.

“Henrik, what do we have for tonight?” Liam asked.

“Vervain granades, sir. As soon as the gas is leaked, we announce the attack. The humans will run, but the bloodsuckers will get stunned. And then…”

He opened a box full of stakes. Liam’s eyes glowed.

“Meanwhile, I’ll be in the backstage taking care of Priya,” he grinned.

As they prepared to leave, he gave them the last instructions.

“Pay attention to their brands. If Gaius’ brand is spotted, do NOT kill the target. Capture and bring it to me.”

“Yes, sir,” the two human hunters agreed.

“And remember, no mercy. They showed no mercy on our loved ones. Vampires are demons that deserve nothing else but death.”

“For our loved ones,” Zoe shouted.

“For our loved ones,” Henrik shouted back.

“ _For our loved ones,_ ” Liam thought, holding a necklace tight in his hand.

————————————————————————————————-

**Kamilah**

“Ready?” Kamilah muttered to Amy as they walked inside The Crimson Veil.

Only a few steps away, journalists and photographers were grouped, waiting for the guests. Adrian was being interviewed, answering questions about the new technologies Raines Corporation was creating, in an attempt to minimize the damages caused by pollution and climate changes. As soon as Kamilah passed by, with Amy by her side, they quickly focused on her.

“ _Ms. Sayeed, to what do you owe the crescent success of your company, Ahmanet Financial?_ ”

“ _Ms. Sayeed, you’ve recently closed a partnership with wildlife protection organizations. Could you tell us more about it?_ ”

“ _Ms. Sayeed, is Priya Lacroix a close friend of yours? What’s your opinion on her new line?_ ”

Lost with so many questions at the same time, she did the best to reply them with short but efficient answers. She hated interviews and speculations about her personal life and career. She knew it was a matter of time until they asked about Amy.

“ _It’s the first time you’re publicly seen in the company of someone, Ms. Sayeed. Anything you’d like to tell us?_ ”

“ _Is she a friend, a date or something more?_ ”

Kamilah didn’t know what to answer. She looked at Amy, that noticing her tension, responded for her.

“Who knows?” She winked to the journalists, as she held Kamilah’s hand and dragged her away from them.

“Thank you,” Kamilah whispered in her ear.

Inside The Crimson Veil, Lily and Adrian were already waiting for them.

“Amy, tomorrow you’re going to be the hottest gossip in your hometown,” Lily joked.

“I know,” Amy laughed.

“Not only in your hometown,” Adrian added. “Everybody wants to know how you managed to make Kamilah fall in love.”

Kamilah frowned at him, who patted her slightly on the shoulder.

“Kamilah, would you follow me to the bar?” He invited.

She glanced at Amy.

“Go, I’ll stay here with Lily saving our seats.”

“Are you sure…”

“Kamilah, no one is going to attack me here. I’m safe.”

Kamilah followed Adrian to the bar. By the look in his eyes, she already knew what he wanted to discuss with her.

“Any news?” She antecipated.

“Not yet,” Adrian told. “The hunter made sure to leave Jameson unconscious when he broke into the library.”

“What about Priya? Could you discover anything from the bite mark?”

“Our hunter has some magic knowledge. As soon as his fangs came in contact with her blood, a spell blocked its special abilities. It took a few days to get out of her system and heal the wound, but she’s fine now.”

Kamilah was thoughtful for a moment, recapitulating the eras she lived through. Never in her long life she ever heard anything about a vampire hunter, who was a vampire himself.

“That’s so weird. If he’s such a talented servant why Gaius never introduced him to us?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question.”

Adrian ordered drinks for both of them.

“So, how are things going with Amy?”

Kamilah’s mouth curled up a bit in a smile.

“She said it tonight.”

“That she loves you?”

Kamilah nodded.

“And what did you say?”

“Nothing yet. It just… won’t come out.”

“It will, in the right moment.”

“That’s what she said,” Kamilah smiled.

“I’ve never seen you so happy before,” Adrian said. “I’m glad for you both.”

They clicked their glasses, enjoying their drinks in silence while observing the guests. Kamilah couldn’t help thinking about Gaius being free. He could be there right now and they wouldn’t know. The thought of him possibly hurting Amy started to give her shivers.

“Kamilah!” Lily approached, interrupting her thoughts.

“Anything wrong, Lily?”

“It’s Amy, she’s not okay.”

In less than a second, Kamilah rushed back to Amy’s side. She looked pale and her skin was cold. Her pupils were dilated and paralyzed.

“I called her but she’s unresponsive,” Lily shouted.

“Amy!” Adrian shook her, in a attempt to bring her back to the reality.

“I-I can’t breathe,” Amy finally muttered.

“Let’s go outside,” Kamilah helped her to get up and walk. “Maybe you need some fresh air.”

After finding a bench to seat, Amy rested her head on Kamilah’s shoulder breathing in and out until she finally calmed down. Suddently, tears started to run across her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Kamilah asked, wiping the tears with her thumb. “You scared me inside there.”

“The first time I was here with Adrian I had a vision. Then it happened other times, at different places, random moments… but I couldn’t remember them. They’d quickly fade away, like a dream. And now… I was there, Kamilah. I saw when he killed you!”

“Who?”

“Gaius. You were in a tent, dressed as an Egyptian Noble and your spymaster… Amethu! That was his name, right?”

Kamilah confirmed.

“He had captured Gaius but… oh my god… it was horrible,” Amy started crying again.

“It happened a long time ago,” Kamilah wrapped her arms around her. “Did you see anything else?”

“No, but I’ve had other visions before. They’re somewhere in my mind I just can’t remember right now.”

They were in silence for a few minutes until Kamilah revealed:

“Amy, I did a lot of wrong in the past. I just want you to know that I’m no longer that person, I…

"Don’t worry about it,” Amy gave her a reassuring smile. “When I say that I love you, I really mean it. I love you for who you are, Kamilah. With all your flaws, your past, your fangs… If anything was different, then  _you_  wouldn’t be  _you_.”

Kamilah felt her heart beating faster. She wanted to say it. She wanted to let Amy know she felt the same way about her. She was about to start speaking when terrified screams cut through the silent night. A group of people passed by them, desperately running away from something.

“What is that?” Amy questioned.

“I don’t know, they’re coming from Priya’s studio.”

They walked back to The Crimson Veil, in the middle of the crowd outside they spotted Adrian. He looked dazzled and confused.

“Adrian!” Kamilah shouted. “What’s going on?”

Adrian cough, unable to speak.

“The hunters… they invaded… the studio.”

“Did they do anything to you?”

“No… they leaked vervain gas… I’m getting better now, thanks.”

“Should we…”

“No. It’s too dangerous.”

“Where’s Lily?” Amy panicked. “I-I can’t find her anywhere…”

“She was sitting right next to me,” Adrian told. “But after the gas… I couldn’t see anything.”

“I’m going in there.”

“Amy, no,” Kamilah stopped her.

“I won’t let them hurt Lily, Kamilah. I’m human, they won’t do anything against me.”

Kamilah watched as Amy disappeared inside the building. It was useless to try to change her mind. When it was about Lily she wouldn’t think twice before putting herself in risk.

“How many hunters are in there?”

“I don’t know exactly,” Adrian answered. “Two or three, I guess.”

When he looked, Kamilah was already entering the building.

The gas was still in the air. As it filled her lungs, it started to burn. She started feeling lightheaded. Looking at the floor, she saw ashes spread everywhere, indicating the hunters had accomplished part of their mission. Her emotions grew into a mix of anger and sadness.

Leaning against the walls, she searched for signs of Amy and Lily. She finally reached a door, a sign indicated it lead to the backstage. It was locked.

Before deciding if she should break it open, she heard from the opposite side of the studio:

“ _Stop! Let me go! I’m not a vampire!_ ”

“ _Amy!_ ” She thought.

Althought the effects of the gas were still slowing her down, she tried to streak as fast as she could to Amy’s location. She was near the bar, a male hunter held her by the neck, pinning her against the wall.

“What about this brand, huh? How do you explain?” He angered, pointing at her wrist.

“It’s temporary!” Amy moaned. “Let me go.”

With a stake in hands, he pointed it directly to her heart.

“Die, demon…”

He didn’t get to finish his sentence, a dagger arced though his body. His hand slowly released Amy’s neck, as he fell dead on the floor.

“Amy,” Kamilah hugged her tight. “Are you alright?”

Amy nodded.

“I told you it was dangerous.”

Kamilah started coughing.

“But Lily… Kamilah, the gas! You need to get out of here.”

Amy’s phone started to ring inside her purse. It was a text from Adrian, telling her Lily was safe outside.

“It’s Adrian, Lily is…” she smiled, when she turned her eyes back to Kamilah, her look changed. “Kamilah! Behind you!”

At this point, Kamilah had inhaled too much gas. Her movements were slow and unsteady. As soon as she turned around, an acute pain bursted through her chest. An intense ache started spread through all her body. All she had time to see was a female hunter, smirking.

She started falling on her knees, when she felt Amy’s arms around her, catching her fall.

“K-Kamilah…” Amy spoke, realizing how seriously injured her girlfriend was. “Oh my god… I-I…”

Her eyes were widened and scared, tears started to fill them.

“Don’t cry, Amy…” Kamilah’s hand slowly reached for hers.

“I’m going to get some help. Y-you’re going to be okay…”

“No one… lives forever…”

The pain started to fade away. All she was feeling now was numbness and an intense cold.

“Don’t say that, Kamilah!” Amy yelled. “Y-you’ve been through a lot. You didn’t live 2063 years to die like this! Not now… when you found me.”

Amy held her face, trying to keep her from falling unconscious.

“Remember? You said you were searching for me…”

Kamilah looked into her eyes. She wanted to assure Amy everything was going to be okay. But never in history, a vampire had survived a stake in the heart. Her vision started to get blurry. She was dying.

“Amy… I…” she attempted to say those three words again.

She couldn’t. Before she could finish the sentence, her eyes closed and everything became darkness.

————————————————————————————————-

**Liam**

“Hello, Priya,” Liam said, sitting on a comfortable, luxurious armchair.

Priya gasped and slowly turned around to face him.

“H-How did you get in here? W-Where are my bodyguards???”

“Sorry, I was starving.”

“All of them?! Really?!”

He stood up, getting face to face with Priya.

“I assume you know why I’m here.”

“No idea,” Priya pointed a pearl-handled revolver at him.

“Are you going to shoot me?” Liam laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”

She fired the revolver once. Twice. He was fast. Faster than any bullet. Faster than most of the vampires she knew. He vanished and in a blink of an eye he reappeared behind her.

“Why did you lie to me, Priya?” He whispered in her ear.

“I-I didn’t.”

“Gaius wasn’t there. That fucking sarcophagus was empty!”

“B-But he was! Then… there’s a traitor amongst us. Maybe Adam did it before…”

“That’s enough!” Liam placed a dagger against her neck. “You’re not getting away this time!”

“Wait,” Priya begged. “I’m your only lead, dude. If you kill me you’ll never find out where Gaius is.”

“And how do you plan to find out, huh?”

“I’ll investigate the other members of the Council. They must know better than I do. And when I have information…”

“You’ll tell me?” He pressed the blade harder against her skin. “Why should I believe you?”

“You’re gonna have to trust me.”

Liam pondered for a moment. What other choice did he have? He spend centuries without having a single clue about Gaius.

“ _Adrian!_ ” A distant cry echoed across the studio. “ _Please… Help!_ ”

He recognized that voice from somewhere.

“ _Don’t let her die!_ ”

The desperation in that girl’s voice pierced through his heart, bringing back painful memories. Memories that he tried to forget. His mind started playing Gaius sarcastic laugh all over again. His voice describing how he had killed  _her_. He released Priya and clenched his fists in rage.

A sharp pain in his stomach made him open his eyes.

“What…” He yelled.

“This is for biting me, asshole.”

While he was distracted, Priya grabbed a stake from his waist. She thrusted it as hard as she could, making him gasp in pain.

“Your…”

“See you around, hunter.”

She smiled and closed the door, leaving him on the floor squirming in pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Spoiler***  
> She'll be okay, I promise


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

**Amy**

It was a nightmare. Only a stupid, scary nightmare. When she opened her eyes, Kamilah would be lying right next to her in bed, Amy thought. And the first thing she would see was her smile, like most of the mornings. Seeing that silly, gorgeous smile was her favorite part of the day.   
However, it wasn’t true. When Amy opened her eyes, her girlfriend was still in her arms, unconscious, with a stake stuck in her chest.   
“Kamilah…” she muttered. “Please, talk to me!”  
She had stopped breathing. Her skin had adquired a pale tone and she was cold. Very cold. Her blood was soaking Amy’s dress.  
“Adrian!” Amy screamed as loud as she could. “Please! Help!”  
She wasn’t sure if he could listen from outside, even with his advanced hearing. But she still insisted once more.  
“Don’t let her die…”   
She looked to the other side of the bar, the female Vampire Hunter typed something on her cell phone while pacing impatiently around the room.   
“You’ve killed her!” Amy yelled. “Your monster…”  
The Hunter glared at Amy, as she had just remembered she was there.  
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” she smirked. “You’ll be joining her in a blink of an eye.”  
She lunged forward in Amy’s direction, grabbing another stake from her waist. Before her hand could even touch Amy, a figure appeared behind her snapping her neck. It was Adrian, followed by Lily.  
“Amy!” He shouted. “Are you alright?”  
She hugged him and sobbed unconsolably against his chest.  
“I… Please Adrian, do something. Don’t let Kamilah die…”  
When he looked down to the floor his eyes went wide and fearful. He kneeled down, pressing his ear against Kamilah’s chest.  
“It didn’t hit her in the heart,” he concluded. “But…”  
“But?”  
“It’s very close. I don’t know if I can get it removed without killing her.”  
“Oh my God…”  
Amy kneeled down and kissed Kamilah’s forehead. She always shared her concerns about their future and how someday she’d have to deal with Amy’s eventual death. But Amy never even considered Kamilah’s death. It sounded unlikely, maybe impossible. Until now.  
“Lily, get her out of here,” Adrian ordered.  
“Adrian, please…”  
“Let’s go, Amy,” Lily wrapped an arm around her shoulder.  
“Wait for me outside. I…” he looked at Kamilah, “we will be there in a minute.”  
Before Amy could protest, Lily had already dragged her outside The Crimson Veil. The next few minutes felt like an eternity. She couldn’t imagine going back to their penthouse without Kamilah. She kept trying to remember things like last words she told her, or how was the last time they kissed… What if she could never kiss those lips again? Tears streamed down her face.  
“I-I can’t lose her, Lil… I can’t…”  
Lily smiled and hugged her.  
“Calm down, Amy. It’s Kamilah we’re talking about. In a few hours she’ll be rolling her eyes at us again.”  
“I hope you’re right.”  
The black door opened and Adrian walked outside, holding Kamilah unconscious in his arms.   
“Thank god,” Amy sighed relieved.  
Adrian placed Kamilah on the backseat of his car.   
“She’s going to be okay now, right?” Amy asked, stroking Kamilah’s soft hair.  
“Just give her a few hours,” Adrian said. “The wound is too deep, it’ll take a while to heal.”  
Three hours had passed. Amy sat right next to Kamilah on their bed, monitoring every possible sign of improvement. But there wasn’t any, she still looked so lifeless as in The Crimson Veil.  
“I’m so sorry,” Amy whispered in her ear. “You never wanted to go to this stupid show and I insisted. This is all my fault…”  
She grabbed her girlfriend’s hand, squeezing it tight.  
“Please, stay with me. It has been only a few hours but I already miss you so much! I miss your voice, your smile…”  
She walked to the living room where Adrian and Lily waited in silence.   
“Adrian, she isn’t getting any better.”  
Adrian let out a distressed sigh.  
“I-I… don’t know what’s going on,” he looked concerned and anxious. “She was supposed to be awake right now.”  
“T-there must be something we can do, right?” Amy started crying again. “W-what if we take her to a hospital? Maybe…”  
“Amy, we can’t.”  
“Then we’re just going to let her die?!”  
Amy returned to the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Adrian’s cell phone was ringing, she could hear him talking to Priya. Something about the Hunter being trapped inside her backstage and how it was the perfectly opportunity to get him. Adrian refused to go, Kamilah was his priority now, he said.   
A couple of minutes later, he appeared inside the room.  
“Amy, the stake!” He announced. “The Hunter must’ve used a similar spell to the one that prevented Priya’s neck from healing.”  
“And how do we break it?”  
“I asked Lily to pick up this book I’ve been studying. I’ve left it somewhere in my office.”  
Less than 20 minutes later, Lily was back. Adrian read carefully the pages of the book.  
“Here… there isn’t much we can do but waiting. If in contact with the bloodstream for extended periods, the spell can be lethal. But as we removed the stake imediatelly then we shouldn’t worry.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes,” Adrian nodded. “It also says that feeding her a large quantity of human blood should accelerate the healing process.”  
Without thinking, Amy grabbed one of Kamilah’s daggers and opened a long gash on her wrist.  
“Kamilah, drink it…” she let the blood drip inside Kamilah’s mouth. “Please…”  
At first she remained unresponsive. Then, after a while, Amy noticed her fangs descending.  
“Good,” Amy smiled. “Drink as much as you need…”  
“Amy,” Adrian tried to pull her away, “that’s enough for now…”  
She resisted.  
“Amy! Stop!” He demanded, grabbing her arm and healing the gash with his own blood. “You’re losing too much blood. Let’s wait and see how she reacts.”  
“Not longer than one hour,” Amy argued. “If she doesn’t show signs of improvement in one hour…”  
“We’ll find volunteers to feed her.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
**Kamilah**  
During her long 2063 years of life, Kamilah heard many different views and beliefs about death. She never chose to believe one especifically. But she liked to think that when she finally died her family would be waiting for her somewhere, especially her brother Lysimachus. Yet, she was unsure about her fate, as she was a vampire. Her people believed vampires were souless demons. In that case, she’d stay in that dark and cold place forever. Some kind of limbo, she assumed.  
“Kamilah,” she heard a childish voice calling her name and little hands touching her body. “Wake up, sister.”  
She opened her eyes to see her twin brother, except he didn’t look like she expected. He looked like a 9 or 10 years old child.   
“Why are you in a child form?”  
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Because you wanted to see me this way?”  
She was thoughtful for a moment. He had a point. Her worst and most painful memories were linked to adult Lysimachus and the moment of her death was supposed to be peaceful and happy. He’d probably change with time, when she was more…  _adapted_  to her new reality.  
“No offense, brother. But you’re the last person I wanted to see right now.”  
She sat, observing her surroundings. She was home. Her childhood home in Egypt. It looked exactly like it was over 2000 years ago.  
“You wanted to be with Amy,” Lysimachus teased her. “You’re in love with her.”  
“Hey, how do you know this things?!” She frowned, crossing her arms. “Right, you’re dead. You must know everything.”  
“You should go back to Amy,” Lysimachus told her with a sad expression. “You need her.”  
“But what about you? And… I don’t know how to go back. I’m dead.”  
He started running away from her.  
“While you figure out,” he grinned, “come find me!”  
He opened the bedroom’s door and disappeared. Kamilah wandered around her old house, looking for him in every spot they used to hide as children. Although he wasn’t anywhere, she still could hear his voice…  
“ _Find me._ ”  
She was alone again. It was definitely the limbo, she thought. She sat down feeling empty and sad. She started thinking about Amy and the short time they had together. Why did she have to die right now? Now she had finally found some happiness.  
Another voiced started echoing around the room.  
“ _Where are you, my queen? I’ve been looking for you._ ”  
“No!” Her eyes widened in fear.   
“Here, Kamilah,” Lysimachus reappeared, pointing to the front door that was slowly closing.  
She streaked to the door but it was too late. It was locked and she as much as she forced she couldn’t open it.  
“ _Don’t hide, my queen… I know where you are…_ ”   
“Help!” She tried to knock the door.  
Suddently she saw herself at The Crimson Veil again, trying to open Priya’s backstage door. If she had opened that door she wouldn’t have met the hunters. She wouldn’t be dead right now.   
“Don’t you dare to go inside, Kamilah!” Gaius was standing right behind her.  
“Priya, open the door,” she shouted.   
“No one can hear you, my queen,” he laughed, approaching her. “You’re dead.”  
She fell on her knees. All the pain she was feeling before had returned. Her chest was burning in an acute pain that irradiated to the rest of her body. She was losing too much blood… She was getting weak, unable to move…  
“Amy! Help me!”  
“Shhh… calm down,” she heard Amy’s voice distantly. “I’m here.”  
She opened her eyes again, noticing she was in her bedroom. Lying on her own bed. For a second she felt some relief, until she realized her agony was real. She attempted to take a breath but she couldn’t, the pain was extreme.  
“It… it hurts…” she moaned.  
“I know, but…it’s healing,” Amy tried to calm her down. “You’re going to be okay.”  
“I’m… not… dead?”  
“No.”  
Amy started sobbing again in a mix of sadness and joy. She smiled and kissed Kamilah’s forehead.  
“Adrian…” Kamilah muttered.  
“He’s fine, and so is Lily.”  
Kamilah forced a smile in response.  
“You should rest,” Amy suggested. “Talking is only making it worse.”  
“I know but…” Kamilah grabbed her hand, “I love you, Amy and I… I thought I wouldn’t be able to say it.”  
She started coughing, what intensified her pain.  
“Hey, I love you too but now please, be quiet.”  
“It’s too… much… end this… please…”  
“There’s something that may help,” Amy grabbed a syringe from the nightstand. “Adrian said I should use it in case you woke up.”  
She injected the medication in Kamilah’s arm.  
“Meanwhile, you should feed a little bit more,” she offered Kamilah her wrist.  
She was hungry. Starving. She needed to be careful to control hunger. Without thinking, she sank her fangs deeply into Amy’s wrist. Amy gave her a soft and loving look, trying to assure her she was fine. As she swallowed some blood, the pain started to increase again and she stopped.  
“I… I can’t…” she pushed Amy’s wrist away.  
“Please,” Amy offered again. “Only a little bit more. It accelerates the healing process.”  
She ingested a little more blood, until the pain become too strong to handle.  
“Now sleep,” Amy stroked her hair, “you’ll feel a lot better when you wake up.”  
She was right. When she woke up again, hours later, most of her pain was gone. And for the first time in a long time, she had a really good sleep. There were no nightmares this time. Her eyes searched for Amy, she was sleeping peacefully by her side.  
“Amy,” she called, touching her arm gently.  
She didn’t respond. Kamilah remembered she fed her too much blood. She was probably tired and weak from the blood loss. She decided to let Amy rest. Now all she needed was a good shower and some answers.  
In the living room, Adrian was sitting on the couch, tense.  
“That was really close, huh?” She joked.  
“Kamilah,” he stood up, wrapping her in a tight hug.  
“Ouch! It’s not completely healed yet!”  
“Sorry!” He gently pulled away, snuffling.  
“Are you crying?”   
“No! It’s just…”  
She rolled her eyes at him.  
“So, what did I miss?” She settled on the couch next to him.  
“Not much, only a boring Council meeting.”  
He filled her on the latest news. A total of 12 vampires were killed. Most of them from clan Lacroix, but several of their own clans too. Priya managed to stake The Hunter and lock him inside her backstage but by they time they got there it was too late, he had escaped.   
Adrian suggested they should install security cameras in strategic locations, Lily would be responsible for monitoring them. Lester and Priya initially complained but agreed after some argumentation. The Baron voted against it. With four votes against one, the cameras would be installed as soon as possible. Priya also told him, in private, that The Hunter also couldn’t find Gaius inside the Sarcophagus.  
“He kinda fascinates me, you know?” Adrian commented.  
“The Hunter?” Kamilah asked, suprised.  
“I mean, these spells he does. He mostly uses substances that modify our blood composition, affecting our natural abilities. His knowledge would be such a great addition in Raines Corporation, we could…”  
“I can’t believe you’re saying that,” Kamilah rolled her eyes again. “Adrian, he hates his own kind. He’s probably working on something to destroy us.”  
“Like Gaius wanted to destroy the human kind,” Adrian said thoughtful.  
“Yes, they’re not so different from each other.”  
“Kamilah, that’s it. He’s seeking for revenge against Gaius.”  
“This is why he was never introduced to us,” Kamilah added. “The mysterious trips, the sudden need to flee from places…”  
“Gaius feared him”  
“Great, he made a troubled child and now we pay the price.”  
“We need to find this guy immediately.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
**Liam**  
Alone somewhere inside the warehouse, he woke up sweaty and sore. For a brief period of time, he was convinced he’d finally die. He’d be finally reunited with  _her_. The hallucinations caused by the spell caused him to see her by his side. Taking care of him, patching up his wound, like she used to do when she was alive.  
“Sir?” One of his partners entered the room. “Finally, we were getting worried about you.”   
“We’ll be using regular stakes next time,” he complained. “Where are Zoe and Henrik?”  
“Dead, sir. By the time we rescued you from the studio, they were already dead.”  
“Shit,” he punched the wall next to him.   
His partner took him to examine the bodies of his two deceased allies.   
He caressed Zoe’s hair. She was the only person he considered a friend. At least she died quickly, without any pain. But her death would not be in vain, soon he’d exterminate whoever did this to her.  
“Interesting,” he said observing Henrik’s body.  
“What, sir?”  
“Henrik was murdered by a different vampire. He was stabbed with a dagger and whoever killed him is very skilled, I must admit.”  
“Do we need more backup?”   
“No,” Liam left the room. “I’ll take care of this vampire myself. I’ve been longing to find a valuable opponent and it seems like I finally did.”  
He headed to his office. Cutting the palm of his hand with a dagger, he pressed his blood on the special device, unlocking the door. He poured some whiskey on a glass, planning his next move.   
He grabbed his cell phone, Zoe had sent him one last message before she died:  
_“Sir, I think I made a mistake.”_  
He hoped she hadn’t killed a human, or worse, a member of The Council. Each one of the six members were precious. They had information about Gaius. He could waste no more time, he got dressed and went back to the Shadow Den.   
Meeting his new friend, he interrogated him about the incident at The Crimson Veil. He didn’t know much, but apparently no members of The Council were killed.  
“And what is that?” He pointed to a device being installed on the roof.  
“Security cameras. The Council is looking for signs of this Vampire Hunter.”  
“ _Hmmm, let’s give them the show they’re expecting._ ”  
————————————————————————————————-  
**Amy**  
“Amy, darling…” Kamilah pulled away from Amy’s mouth. “Not that I’m complaining but… we’ve been kissing for hours.”  
“I’m sorry, I thought I’d never get to do this again…” her lips grazed Kamilah’s again. “Last one, I promise.”  
“Hmmm… last one?” She looked at Amy with a mischievous smile on her face.  
Kamilah laid on top of her on the couch, her mouth met Amy’s burning in desire. She slipped her tongue inside Amy’s mouth, gentle but challenging, while her fangs softly nipped her bottom lip. Amy’s hands ran through her back, pulling her even closer.  
“I can’t”, Kamilah stopped. “Still hurts.”  
“That’s okay,” Amy assured her, smiling. “We can save some for tomorrow.”  
After returning to the sitting position, Amy rested her head on Kamilah’s shoulder.  
“Were you scared?” She asked.  
“A little,” Kamilah admited after some hesitation. “Actually I…”  
“What?”  
“I kinda met my brother.”  
“Was it a good dream this time?”  
“It wasn’t just a dream. It felt… real.”  
“I’m glad for you. You must miss him a lot.”  
“Yeah, but…” she paused. “Gaius appeared.”  
“Oh.”  
“He was chasing after me, then I suddently saw myself at The Crimson Veil again, trying to open Priya’s backstage door. It was kinda weird.”  
Amy chuckled.  
“Now I understand why you were calling for Priya in your sleep.”  
“If you ever tell anyone…” Kamilah tried to muffle a laugh.  
A ringing cell phone interrupted them.  
“Mine or yours?” Amy asked.  
“Mine.”  
Kamilah reached for her phone on the coffee table. When she saw the number she went to the bedroom to answer, Amy knew it certainly meant trouble. When she came back she had a shocked expression on her face.  
“What happened?”  
“There was another attack tonight and… The Baron is dead.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- *** Smut Alert ***  
> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

**Amy**

Amy paused the game she was playing and dropped the controller. She let out a sigh, wondering if the Shadow Den was where she really wanted to be right now. She wanted to return home. Return to Kamilah's penthouse. But not after the fight they had. Not after the words she said...  
" _You're suffocating me,_ " she shouted. " _You don't give me any space, Amy._ "  
After getting staked, she started acting distant. She wouldn't tell Amy how she felt or how she was dealing with the situation. Although she said she was fine, Amy could detect she was distressed, maybe a little traumatized. 

Then, she noticed Kamilah had been sneaking out in the middle of the night for two days in a row. She decided to follow her girlfriend and found out she had been training with some memebers of her Clan. Not any training, but an intense, dangerous, kind of training.  
Amy had been staying with Lily in the Shadow Den since the earliest hours of the morning. Lily had developed her own life amongst vampires, she had new friends, new habits and she had just left to join Adrian in the Council Meeting. She was supposed to deliver him the footage from The Baron's club. Amy couldn't help feeling a little... excluded.  
She stood up from the couch and, against Lily and Jax's recommendations, she decided to explore the Shadow Den.  
She was distracted when a hand touched her shoulder.  
"Are you one of the volunteers?" A female vampire asked. "Because I'm starving!"  
Amy looked into her eyes and she could quickly identify signs of bloodlust. The woman’s fangs descended and she firmed the grip on Amy's shoulder.  
"No!" Amy tried to push her away. "Let me go..."  
She ignored Amy's appeal and her mouth approached her neck.   
"Stop!" Amy yelled. "I'll report you to the Council..."  
Someone appeared, pushing the woman away.  
"The lady said she does not consent," a male voice spoke. "You better find a willing volunteer or..."  
While the vampire came back to her senses and rushed away, Amy recognized that black haired male. It was the same guy who saved her from The Baron's thugs at that concert.  
"Hey," she smiled. "I know you."  
The male gave her an intrigued look.  
"You saved me the other day... at that concert, remember?"  
"Oh, you," a smirk appeared in the corner of his mouth. "Getting in trouble again, huh?"  
"Thank you for saving me. Twice," Amy extended her hand. "I'm Amy, by the way."  
"Liam," he shook her hand politely.  
"So you're a vampire," she concluded.  
"And so are you?" He pointed at the brand on her wrist.  
"Oh no... this is temporary. For protection."  
"Protection," he chuckled. "Well, you definitely need it,  _Amy_."  
He put emphasis on her name, examining her from head to toes. It was the first time Amy could clearly see him. He was more handsome than she had noticed the other night. He had the prettiest brown eyes she had ever seen, they were quite hypnotizing...

“ _But they’re not prettier than Kamilah's!_ ” Amy though, shaking her head and coming back to reality.

"What?" he asked, smiling.  
Liam also had a contagious smile. She blushed a little bit.  
"S-sorry... I just... My mind is somewhere else right now."  
"Where? In the clouds?"  
"Sort of. At someone... my girlfriend. We had the most heated argument last night and... I don't know what to do."  
"Let me guess, you date a vampire."  
"How do you know?"  
"You're easy to read and... you seem to be very comfortable in the company of them."  
"I'm kinda used right now, I guess. My girlfriend is a vampire, my boss is vampire, my best friend is a vampire, so..."  
There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Amy bit her lip nervously.  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Liam asked. "Your girlfriend, I mean."  
"We barely know each other."  
"Well, I'm a good listener."  
"Okay." Amy nodded in agreement. "Let me grab my purse and we can take walk."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 **Kamilah**

"She's testing me!" Kamilah complained, pacing angrily around Raines Corporation lobby.   
She had tried to call Amy a million times. Not really,  _a million_. But at least a hundred. She knew she was with Lily, there's no other place she could be. A few minutes ealier Lily passed by and Kamilah confronted her. Althought she denied she was with Amy, Kamilah knew she was lying.  
"Kamilah," Adrian opened the door to call her. "We're getting started."  
She rolled her eyes and entered the conference room. Priya, Lester and Jax were already seated. Adrian inserted a disk on his laptop, displaying the image on a large screen. A few days before, The Baron's new club had been attacked by The Hunter, killing most of his clan members and possibly himself.  
"We finally managed to get some footage of this Hunter," Adrian announced. "Now we can see his face, it'll be easier to catch him."  
He clicked play. Kamilah crossed her arms to watch. She didn't expect much from this Hunter. It was probably just a newly-turned vampire trying to get attention. He couldn't be so strong as Priya described.  
"I see nothing," she said.  
A couple of seconds later, a vulture streaked at every corner of the recently rebuilt club, leaving a trail of death and ashes. The only thing that could be seen was his flickering daggers, cutting everything on his way. The video ended.  
"Really, Adrian?" Priya whined. "Is that all you've got?"  
"Where's his face?" Jax inquired.  
"I-I... suppose he's too fast to be caught on camera."  
"Oh please," Kamilah rolled her eyes, "he knew exactly what he was doing. Can't you see? He found out about your little cameras and decided to put on a show."  
"Kamilah is right," Priya added, "he can be quite of an exhibitionist when it comes to his  _skills_."  
"Don't we have footage from The Baron's office?" Lester asked.  
"No," Adrian answered. "The Baron refused to have cameras installed on his office, unfortunatelly."  
He turned off the laptop frustrated.  
"I'll send it back to Lily for analysis. Maybe she can find any minor detail that could help us to identify him."  
With a loud noise, the conference room's door opened.  
"There's no need," The Baron entered, alone. "I know who's behind this worm."  
"You escaped?" Priya asked, with some disappointment. "Damn, I was hoping to get that club..."  
"Didn't you notice anything on this stupid footage?" The Baron questioned. "The way he fights, his sarcasm, his cockiness..." he clenched his fists in anger. "Doesn't it remind you of  _someone_?"  
He gazed straight at Kamilah's direction.  
"What are you insinuating?" She shouted.  
"That he's a member of your clan... a  _protégé_  maybe..."  
"In case you don't remember,  _I_  got staked."  
"Exactly. The Hunters killed twelve vampires and they only missed  _your_ heart. Isn't it a little bit weird?"  
"And for what purpose I'd hire a Vampire Hunter?" Kamilah argued.   
"At  _his_  command," The Baron replied. "Gaius. We all know what's your story with him. It's a coincidence that at the same time he returns, this Vampire Hunter appears, fighting exactly like you?"  
"He does not fight like me!" Kamilah raised her voice. "Our style is completely different... Adrian play that video again!"  
"There's no need. Deep down you know it's true."  
"And what do you suggest?"  
"An investigation."  
"Okay..." Kamilah consented. "Who's in favor of an investigation against me say  _aye_. Adrian?"  
"Nay," Adrian answered.  
"Jax?"  
"Nay."  
"Lester?"  
"Aye."  
"Baron?"  
"Aye"  
"Priya?"  
Priya didn't answer. She was thoughful, distracted. Her head cocked to the side, her brows furrowed.  
"Priya?!" Kamilah asked again.  
"Oh! That's me. Nay, aye... whatever..."  
Kamilah rolled her eyes.  
"Okay, aye then."  
"I know I don't really have a say in this," Kamilah spoke, "but to clear my name I'm also voting aye."  
After the meeting ended, Adrian called her to his office. He asked her to seat and offered her a drink.  
"You don't really have to do this."  
"I want to. I just... I fear he's setting me up for revenge"  
"Don't worry," Adrian assured her. "We'll solve this. We're going to find this Hunter and we'll prove your innocence."  
"Thank you," Kamilah filled her glass with more whiskey.  
"You look stressed, is there anything else going on?"  
"No."  
"Kamilah..."  
"Okay, it's Amy. We had a fight and she has been ignoring me. I don't even know where she is!"  
"What was the fight about this time?"  
Kamilah told him everything. About how she had started an intense training program with her clan members. They needed to be prepared for an eventual confrontation with the Hunter and with Gaius, in the future. And about how Amy was acting too overprotective since her incident, even though her she was perfectly fine.  
"She interrupted the training session and yelled at me, in front of my clan members," Kamilah told. "She looks at me like if I was about to break and this is exactly what I didn't want!"  
"Kamilah, have you put yourself in her place?" Adrian asked. "It was traumatizing for her. You could've died, in her arms."  
"I know... I'd probably act the same if something had happened to her. But I'm a vampire, she needs to understand..."  
"First of all, she see you as her girlfriend and she cares about you, about your safety."  
Kamilah rolled her eyes.  
"I really don't know how to do this... this...  _girlfriend thing_."  
Adrian laughed, shaking his head.  
"Don't laugh, okay? Now I need to find a way to apologize and I don't even know how."  
"I think I have an idea."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 **Amy**

Resting her body on the sand, Amy observed the night sky. It was quiet, peaceful, all she could hear was the sound of the waves and... Liam's laugh.  
"Let me see if I understand," he broke the silence, "you showed up at her training session and scolded her in front of her clan members. Like a mom."  
"I shouldn't have told you. You must be thinking I'm young and stupid," Amy lamented. "And so is she."  
"I don't think you're stupid, but... you're dating a vampire. You can't treat her like a regular mortal."  
"How am I supposed to treat her then? Like if I didn't care? Should I just let her risk her life again?" She stood up and raised her voice.  
"Amy," Liam said patiently, sitting in front of the bonfire they made, "she has probably had more near-death incidents in her life than you can count on your fingers. It's normal for us, vampires. We're always living in danger."  
"Not like this one," Amy argued. "she told me."  
"Fine. Assuming it was the closest to death she has ever been... she's  _feeling it_. We feel everything intensified. It's impossible to measure, impossible to describe. There's a hurricane inside her and she can't simply explain this to you so... she needs to blow off her steam somehow."  
Amy remained silent, pensive.  
"And you know, we're very fond of combat," he added.  
"So this is why she was training so hard? To ease her emotions?"  
"It's possible."  
"And... this is what she meant with needing some space?"  
"Likely."  
Amy sighed, looking at the ocean. Maybe she over-exaggerated with Kamilah.   
She turned her eyes to Liam, who was playing with the fire. He drove her to the beach on his motorcycle, assuring her that was the best place to clear her head. And he was right, she felt a lot better right now.  
He was intriguing, mysterious. Amy told Liam a lot about herself, sharing details about her personal life, but she couldn't find out much about him. Except that he was a prisoner to his maker and that he had to runaway.  
"How old are you?" Amy asked, changing the subject.  
"I lost the count," Liam told.   
"Have you ever heard about..." she hesitated for a moment, "a vampire named Gaius?"  
For the first time Liam stared her directly in the eyes. His mouth stiffened.  
"Y-yes."  
"I heard he was very powerful and dangerous and... I keep having this visions about him."  
"What kind of visions?" He suddently seemed interested again.  
"About his past. My friends' past too," Amy explained. "Two nights ago, for example, I remembered this vision I had of when he arrived in New York City. A man named Banner he was tired of serving him so... Gaius tortured him and then..."  
"And then?"  
"Sorry, I don't want to talk about it."

She was still uncomfortable with Adrian’s behavior in that vision.

"It's fine, Amy," Liam assured her. "But you know, these visions usually have a purpose."  
"What kind of purpose?"  
"I don't know," he shrugged. "You'll need to find out by yourself."  
"I'm confused and scared."  
"You don't have to be," he patted her gently on the shoulder, "I'm pretty sure the person who's calling you every five minutes will be by your side."  
He pointed at her purse. Her phone wouldn't stopped vibrating since they arrived to the beach.  
"Stop ignoring her," he suggested. "Remember, we feel everyhting intensified. Even rejection."  
Amy grinned.  
"You've tortured her enough."  
"Okay, let's go home."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 **Kamilah**

" _Hey this is Amy, leave a message after the..._ "  
"Voicemail again?!" Kamilah sighed in frustration. At least Amy had turned on her phone, a good sign that she was alive.  
As Adrian suggested, she prepared a special dinner for Amy. But it was almost 2 AM and no signs of her yet.

After storing the food back in the fridge, Kamilah called Lily again. She didn't know where she was. Amy only left a note saying she was going to take a walk with a  _friend_. She didn't have many friends in New York, Kamilah knew. This thought started to bother her little.  
She heard the door opening, for her relief, it was Amy.  
"Amy," she tried to hide a smile. "Where were you? I've been calling you for hours."  
"Giving you some space," Amy answered, "was it enough or..."  
"I suppose I deserve it. I won't blame you if you want..."  
"If I want..." Amy approached her, wrapping her arms around her neck. "To do  _this_?"  
She pressed her lips on hers, kissing her softly. Kamilah pulled away when she smelled the scent of male perfume on her clothes.  
"It seems like you had company."   
"Yeah, I was out with a friend..." Amy told, knowing her jealous nature.  
"Male friend," Kamilah whined.  
"Actually he made me realize a few things about us. He enlighted me about my behavior last night."  
"I still don't find it pleasant that you were in the company of someone else."  
Amy let out a laugh.  
"Kamilah, I don't care about any another company, only yours. I love you, okay?"  
She couldn't help smiling when she heard those words. She pulled Amy for another kiss. More deeply and passionate this time. She nibbed Amy’s earlobe and whispered seductively:  
"Prove it."  
"Like this?" Amy bit Kamilah's lower lip in a provocative manner.  
"More than that."  
"Okay," Amy grabbed her hand, leading her to their bedroom. They occasionally stopped in the middle of the way to exchange frenzied kisses, while their hands explored each other's body.  
Inside the room, Kamilah laid on the bed and Amy undressed her. She pulled Amy closer, kissing her fiercely.  
"Say it again," she ordered.  
"I love you,"  
"I haven't convinced me yet. Prove it."  
Amy's mouth met hers again, her fingers traced every inch of Kamilah's toned abdomen, before finding its way between her tights.  
"Hmmm... Would you like some space right now or...?" Amy stopped for a second and teased.  
"Don't you even dare..."  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
 **Liam**

He took a sip of his drink, waiting patiently in the night club. It was a good night. Amy hadn't told him much about the Council and its members but, at least, he managed to find out her girlfriend was the one that killed Henrik. She was the opponent he was looking for. That girl’s company was also enjoyable, he felt some kind of connection, sympathy for her.  
He observed her number on his cellphone screen. He needed to keep contact. He needed to gain her trust to learn more about her visions of Gaius.  
"Hmmm, new woman to play with?" A hand with sharp nails touched his shoulder.  
"It's none of your business," he hid his cellphone from Priya.  
She sat by his side and ordered a drink at the bar.  
"Why did you choose a nightclub for our meeting?" Priya asked. "Are you afraid?"  
He smirked.  
"Let's just say it's for safety reasons. To prevent us from stabbing each other."  
"I'm glad to know I've caused such an impact."  
"Don't be so cocky, I just don't wanna kill you yet. So, what do you have for me?"  
"About Gaius, nothing."  
"Then why you agreed to meet me?"  
She handed him a piece of paper.  
"I suppose she has exactly what you need."  
"Ahmanet Financial," he read. "Do I look like I need money?"  
"No, but the CEO is the oldest member of the Council. She also used to be Gaius' Queen and according to rumors, she know where he is."  
"Okay," Liam grinned. "I'll have a word with her."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.  
> \- I said you’d have to wait until Chapter 6 to find out Liam’s real identity, but I think this chapter makes it kinda obvious :P  
> \- Later I’m posting my theory that inspired this fic on Tumblr.

**Amy**

Arriving Kamilah's office at Ahmanet Financial, Amy found her girlfriend typing on her laptop with a frowned expression, so distracted she didn't even noticed her presence.  
"Hey," Amy announced, "it was getting late and I thought I should come here and see if you need any help."  
"Amy," Kamilah finally stopped to pay attention, "I'm so sorry, I didn't even notice it was..." she looked at her watch, "10 PM?!"  
Amy nodded in agreement.  
She learned how to be more tolerant with Kamilah's busy schedule. Instead of arguing, she'd just show up in her office bringing some food or offering help to finish whatever she was occupied with. Both of them were happier with her decision.  
"I was supposed to meet Adrian for dinner tonight," Kamilah let out a weary sigh. "Maybe I should reschedule."  
"No," Amy walked behind her, massaging her shoulders, "it could be important, you should go. Why don't you let me finish this for you? You want me to be your assistant after all."  
Kamilah had been very tense lately. The Baron's investigation was causing her a lot of stress, even though she wouldn't admit.  
"Are you sure? I mean, I'm almost done... I just need to send this via email to...", her expression changed, "a lot of people."  
"I can do it."  
"I appreciate that, Amy. It has been a long day and I'm kinda exhausted."  
"Don't worry, I'll finish this and I'll be waiting for you at home," Amy pressed her lips on Kamilah's, "to give you a relaxing massage."  
"I'm looking forward to that," Kamilah opened a huge grin before pulling her close for hug. They remained in silence, enjoying each other's company for a little moment.  
"I'm planning to take a few days off," Kamilah announced.  
"Oh my god!" Amy mocked. "You?! Kamilah, you can't spend 24 hours away from this office. Do you want me to believe you're taking a few days off?"  
Kamilah rolled her eyes at her.  
"I'm serious, okay? Actually I spent the whole afternoon looking for destinations we could visit."  
" _W-we_?! You really mean..."  
"Yes, I thought it'd be a nice way to celebrate our four months together."  
"Aww, you didn't forget this time."  
"Hey, it only happened once, okay? I never forget important dates, I..."  
"I know, I was kidding," Amy laughed, kissing Kamilah again. She loved seeing Kamilah getting angry for small things and trying to explain herself. It made her look cute.   
"Amy," Kamilah softly pulled away, "cameras," she pointed to the roof of her office. "I'm not comfortable with Lily watching us."  
"Oh, sure."  
"I should get going, Adrian is waiting for me. Don't forget to turn off the lights and set on the alarm, okay?"  
Amy agreed.   
As Kamilah left, she couldn't hide her joy. It'd be their first trip together. While she finished sending the emails, she couldn't wait to call Lily and deliver the news. As soon as she entered Kamilah's private elevator, she quickly grabbed her phone.  
"Come on, Lil... answer it..." she smiled anxiously.  
It went to the voicemail. Lily was probably distracted with that newly released game, it was all she could talk about in the last few days. Amy insisted once more.

The elevator stopped. The main lobby was empty and dark. Kamilah was always the last one to leave the building. Amy started walking, she texted Lily a few times to attempt to get her attention.  
 _Answer this phone_  
I mean it  
Really  
I have some BIG news ✈ 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

**Kamilah**  
Never in her entire life Kamilah could feel prepared for that moment. She never expected that. It was impossible, until now. For many years, after she was turned, she researched books, attempted to contact witches and even psychics. Anyone who could bring her brother back to life. That was all she ever wished for.

On Ahmanet Financial’s rooftop she tried to stay calm. She had a drink, she tried to take deep breaths, she tried meditation techniques… Everything was useless. She wouldn’t stop shaking, her stomach was twisting to the point she felt sick.

Priya was wrong. She had to be. It was only a stupid prank.

She should come back home. She tried to turn around, leave that building for good, but her feet wouldn’t move.

A voice behind her sent shivers all over her body.

“Kamilah.”

She stopped breathing. Her heart was pounding fast inside her chest.  
“Lysimachus,” she answered.  
She finally looked at him, confirming that the male vampire in front of her was indeed her twin brother. Together, a bunch of emotions bursted inside her chest.  
She advanced to his direction.  
“All this time… I thought…” she punched him in the chest repeatedly, “you made me believe you were dead! How could you?!”  
She wanted to inflict him pain but in that moment all her strenght had disappeared.  
He carefully held both of her fists and involved her in a hug. She couldn’t help wrapping her arms around him and hug him back. She rested her head on his chest and cried. She hadn’t shed a single tear for centuries, but now it was impossible to hold her emotions.  
“I thought you were dead too, sister,” he kissed her forehead. “He told me he had killed you.”  
“Gaius?”  
“Yes.”  
Kamilah released her brother, noticing he attempted to hide his teary eyes.  
He sat on the lounge by the pools’s edge, where she sat right next to him in silence. A million thoughts and questions were running through her mind.  
“When the Romans captured me,” he told, “I resisted, I fought. In prison I led rebellions, I helped people to escape. Until the day of my execution, when h-he…”  
He clenched his fists and his mouth stiffened. Kamilah waited to hear the rest of his story.  
“He said he was going to save me, that I had  _potential_ … He took me somewhere else, another kind of prison. Where he turned me into  _this_! I never accepted it, I never wanted to be… A demon. But he wouldn’t give up, he wanted to make me his servant and when I refused…”

He stopped again, as if what came next was too painful to be said aloud.  
“Proceed,” Kamilah asked.  
“Somebody else investigated my life and they discovered about you. He threatened me saying he was going to kill you with his own hands. I didn’t believe it at first but when he came back…” Lysimachus pulled a necklace from his jacket. “He told me he had murdered you, he gave details and… even your necklace as proof.”  
He placed the necklace around Kamilah’s neck and smiled.  
“Remember? I gave you this necklace when you became a nomarch.”  
“How could I forget?”  
“What about you, sister? What did that bastard did to you?”  
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”  
Kamilah walked behind the bar, getting a strong drink to swallow everything she had just listened. She offered her brother a glass, which he accepted.  
“It’s still not an excuse for what you’ve been doing,” she said.  
“I did it for you, sister,” he caressed her cheek.  
She slapped his hand away.  
“For me?! Do you honestly think I’d want you to spend your life murdering other vampires?“  
“I want to wipe out this entire race, knowing most of them decends from  _him_.”  
“And for what purpose? After murdering all vampires what are you going to do?”  
He explained his plans. After killing as much Vampires as possible and defeated Gaius, he’d come back to Egypt one last time to watch the sunrise. After the sunlight consumed him, he’d finally die in peace. Kamilah shook her head in denial.  
“You can join me if you want.”  
“For someone who hates Gaius you sound exactly like him.”  
“Come on, Kamilah. Are you going to tell me that you like being  _this_? An abomination? It’s not a gift, it’s a curse! I… I’d rather he had killed you instead of turning you.”  
“Excuse me?!”   
Kamilah stood up from the lounge, refusing to believe what he said.  
“You know what?” She angered. “For over 2000 years I believed you were dead. I mourned, I cried… and turns out you really are! You’re not my brother! My brother is really dead.”  
She left him alone and went home. For her luck, Amy was sleeping deeply. She didn’t listen when she entered the penthouse or when she spent hours in the shower crying. In the morning, all she had to do was pretend nothing happened.  
“Is everything okay?” Amy asked while they had breakfast. “You seemed kinda nervous last night, when you went out.”  
“I’m sorry about that…” her mind tried to find an appropriate lie, “it was a false alarm.”  
Amy observed her, like if she was examining every move she made.  
“Kamilah, have you been crying?”  
“No, I just… I feel tired, Amy. The last few days have been intense.”  
“Yeah.”  
She moved away from the table, certain that she hadn’t convinced Amy there was nothing wrong. She sighed. Maybe she should just tell her, Amy was her girlfriend, one of the only few people she trusted.

Her phone started beeping repeatedly and many texts from the same number appeared on her screen.  
 _Kamilah, I need to see you tonight  
I’m sorry about last night, I didn’t mean to say that  
Please, stop ignoring me_  
She rolled her eyes, wondering how Lysimachus had obtained her number.  
“Who is it?” Amy asked, intrigued.  
“No one, really,” she smiled.  
“You’re hiding something from me”  
“Come on, Amy,” Kamilah wrapped her arms around Amy’s waist. “I’m not, okay?”  
“You have this look on your face. That look you only give me when you’re up to something.”  
“I’m definitely up to something,” she pushed Amy onto the bed, lying on top of her.  
She let her fangs descend, giving small kisses all over Amy’s body. The tips of her fangs brushed against Amy’s skin making her chuckle.  
“Oh my god, stop…” Amy effortlessly tried to push her away. “It tickles!”  
Kamilah teased her a little bit more before stopping and looking into her eyes.  
“I’m sorry, Amy. I’m not used to share. There  _is_  something I need to tell you…” she was thoughtful for a moment, “actually, it may be better if I show you. Tonight.”  
Amy’s expression changed.  
“Uhhh… tonight I can’t,” she gave Kamilah a guilty look, “my parents are in New York and I invited them for dinner. I’ll cook, don’t worry.”  
“You should have told me earlier,” Kamilah protested.  
“It was unplanned,” Amy explained. “They called me this morning and told me they’re here. If you don’t mind, they’d like to meet Adrian and Lily too, so I invited them.”  
“This is why Adrian gave you the day off.”  
Amy nodded.  
“You told  _them_ before you told  _me_ ,” Kamilah angered.  
“Maybe because I expected this reaction from you.”  
Kamilah didn’t respond. She didn’t feel like arguing. She wanted to be alone. She went to Ahmanet Financial, to focus on her work, hoping nothing else would ruin her day.  
————————————————————————————————-  
 **Amy**  
“Are you sure you can cook this?” Lily asked, reading the instructions from the Cook Book.  
“Well, I’m going to try,” Amy shrugged.  
Last time she attempted to cook a meal she almost set Kamilah’s penthouse on fire. She wanted to surprise her girlfriend, who had closed a big contract, by cooking a special dinner with traditional Egyptian dishes and dessert. In the end, Kamilah had her first time in a fast food restaurant.

She was going for something easier this time.  
“Now I finished the sauce…” Amy read, “all I have to do is to place everything in the oven.”  
“Amy, are you sure about this sauce?” Lily tasted a little bit, “Didn’t you add too much pepper?”  
“No, I followed what the book says. Only a pinch of pepper.”  
“And how much is a pinch?”  
Amy demonstrated. For some reason Lily widened her eyes.  
“Okay, if you say so.”  
“I want everything to be perfect,” Amy told. “My parents aren’t so thrilled I’ve moved in with Kamilah. They think it’s too soon.”  
Her parents never agreed with her move to New York in first place. Every opportunity was a chance for them to point out Amy wasn’t able to live on her own in such a big city. She wanted to prove them wrong. She wanted to prove she was no longer a little girl, that she was able to live by herself and perform house tasks.  
After Amy placed the dish in the oven, she took Lily to the living room.  
“Did you bring your laptop as I asked?” She questioned.  
Lily nodded.  
“I need you to do something for me. Check Kamilah’s office footage from last night.”  
“Why?” Lily wanted to know.  
Amy told her about Kamilah’s strange behavior.  
“Isn’t it kinda controlling?”   
“Lily, Kamilah was crying. Did you ever imagine Kamilah crying, for any reasons?”  
“Not really.”  
“So.”  
Lily opened a folder labeled as Ahmanet Financial, looking for videos from the previous night.  
“Here’s it,” she clicked.  
Amy watched as Kamilah entered her office in a hurry, looking anxious and disturbed. Then she went to her desk, turned on the computer and disabled the camera system. The video went dark.  
“What?” She shouted.  
“Sorry Amy, she’s definitely up to something.”  
“I think she’s meeting  _him_ ,” Amy had tears in her eyes.  
“Who?”  
“Gaius. This morning she received a lot of texts and I kinda spied on them while she was getting dressed. He was apologizing for something he said and he wants to see her again tonight.”  
“Uhhh… do you think Gaius can use a cellphone?”  
“Why not? He needs to adapt to modern technologies.”  
“And why do you think it’s him? Could be a… client or a employee.”  
Amy told Lily about the last vision she remembered. How Kamilah called Gaius  _my love_  and showed some affection for him.  
“Do you think they…” Lily looked shocked.  
“Yes! But she also seemed to be afraid of him, I assume he was an abusive bastard.”  
“Have you asked Kamilah about this?”  
“Of course not, she doesn’t wanna hear anything about him.”  
“Maybe it’s time for her to give you some answers. With his return and everthing…”  
Amy decided she wouldn’t confront Kamilah yet, but she’d ask someone else to do it. She called Adrian, inviting him to come to the penthouse as soon as possible. Minutes later, when he arrived, she and Lily showed him the footage and Amy told him about the texts.   
“I’m not sure Gaius can use a cellphone,” Adrian was intrigued.  
“Only because he’s an ancient vampire?” Amy argumented. “Kamilah is 2063 years old and she’s adjusting, she even started to use emojis on her texts. Though she doesn’t know the real meaning of some of them.”  
Lily tried to muffle a laugh.  
“Okay, Amy,” Adrian concluded. “Tonight, after your dinner, I’m going to talk to Kamilah. If it’s something about Gaius she will tell me.”  
“Good.”  
“Guys…” Lily interrupted, “what is this smell?”  
“Oh my god!” Amy yelled, running to the kitchen.   
When she opened the oven, her dish was completely burned. She was about to start crying, when Adrian assured her he could fix it.  
“I’m going to ask Raines Corporation restaurant to send us some food.”  
“You don’t understand, it was important to me. I wanted to prove my parents I’m able to live on my own and I also wanted to impress Kamilah!”  
“Nobody needs to know,” he winked. “It’s going to be our secret.”  
————————————————————————————————-  
 **Kamilah**  
Thoughtful, with a drink in hands, Kamilah contemplated the view from her penthouse’s terrace.  _Crazy_  was the most accurate word to describe the last 24 hours. Not only she found out her brother was alive, but that he had become a merciless hunter, as a form of revenge for believing she was dead during this whole time. She had no right to judge him. She could’ve followed the same path, as she never really accepted his death. Somehow, she understood his reasons.  
She grabbed her phone to text him, agreeing they should meet when Amy’s dinner was over. And she couldn’t wait until that damn dinner was over…  
Meeting Amy’s parents was disastrous. They seemed to disapprove her, especially Amy’s mother. Everytime she opened her mouth to say something an uncomfortable silence settled all over the guests.

The same couldn’t be said about Adrian, he sent Amy’s mother into bliss no matter what he was talking about. She wanted to know details about Raines Corporation, Amy’s job and even about his personal life. It was almost like the woman was pushing Amy into his arms, right on her face. Under her roof.  
“There you are,” she heard Adrian’s voice behind her.  
“I needed a break.”  
He sat beside her, serving himself a drink.  
“I noticed you were distant.”  
“Actually, I decided to keep my mouth shut.  _Mortal-in-law_  gives me look of disapproval everytime I open my mouth.”  
Adrian laughed.  
“She’s only being protective. Amy has told me her parents were never supportive of her move to New York. They must be thinking you’re trapping her here.”  
“Amy is an adult. She’s mature enough to make her own decisions.”  
She took a long sip of her drink.  
“There is anything else going on?” Adrian asked.   
“No. Why?”  
“I know you, Kamilah.”  
She sighed. She would need Adrian’s help when the rest of the Council members found out about Lysimachus. Executing him was not even a possibility. She would not let that happen. She’d keep her deranged brother under control, even if it meant she’d have to imprison him at Ahmanet Financial’s secret basement.  
“I… uhh…” she couldn’t proceed. “Can we discuss this in your office tomorrow?”  
“Is it about Gaius? Remember, we promised each other…”  
“Are you honestly believing the Baron’s accusations?!” She shouted, standing up from the bench.  
“Kamilah, no…”  
“From all people, Adrian. I never expected this from  _you_.”  
She stomped back inside the penthouse, her eyes running on every corner looking for signs of Amy. If there was something she needed right now, it was her girlfriend’s presence. She wanted to run into her arms, lay her head on her chest only to hear those precious heartbeats. They were like a lullaby to her ears when she was feeling anxious, angry or sad.   
She head Amy’s voice coming from the guest room… followed my her mother’s in a heated argument. She rolled her eyes.  
“Do you love  _her_  or the life she’s offering you?” The woman questioned. “Look at this place, Amy and this bracelet you’re wearing, this dress… you’re impressed by her lifestyle!”  
“How dare you to say that, mom? Can’t you see? I’ve never been happier before and with Kamilah… I could live anywhere, I could be even homeless but I wouldn’t mind! What I feel for her is different from anything I’ve ever felt in my life. I didn’t know what love was like, until I met her.”  
Amy broke down in tears. Kamilah frowned, feeling the impulse of entering the room and interrupt that argument. The fact somebody was making her girlfriend cry was unacceptable.  
“Amy, honey…” the mother wrapped her daughter in hug, wiping her tears. “I know that living in New York has affected you. It’s normal you want to be like… the  _other girls,_ follow their  _trends._  But it’s just a phase, someday you’ll want a solid relationship. You’ll want to get married and have children… Things Kamilah won’t be able to provide you.  
By the time Amy yelled ” _WHAT?_ “, Kamilah had already walked away from the corridor. She needed to talk a walk before she jumped on Amy’s mother throat. She felt her eyes were turning red and her vampire instincts were taking control.  
In the building’s hall, the receptionist called her name.  
"Ms. Sayeed?”  
“Yes?”  
“Your brother was here, he asked me to deliver this to you.”  
The young woman handed her a letter and the necklace that used to belong to her, when she was a nomarch in Egypt.  
She opened the letter, reading carefully.

“ _Dear sister,_  


_I hope you can forgive me for the words I said last night. A Vampire’s life is a long path of tragedy and misery. I suffered in Gaius’ hands, I suppose you did too. I can’t stand this thought. I can’t stand thinking I wasn’t there to protect you from him._

_My deepest apologies for the trouble I caused in the last few weeks. Hurting you or Amy was never my intention._

_I had a mission and I failed. What remains is the last part of my plan. I’m returning home, sister. Our home. And for the last time I’ll feel the daylight on my skin. I’ll appreciate the sunrise, like we used to do together when we were children._

_I wish you long and happy years with your lovely girlfriend. Take care of that girl, she tends to get in trouble quite easily._

_I love you. Forever._

_Lysimachus_ ”

“No,” Kamilah shouted, her eyes filled with tears.  
The receptionist told her he had just left, so she still should be able to find him. He couldn’t be so far. She took her car off the building’s garage, driving fast around the streets. After a couple of hours, she decided to drive to the airport and wait. He’d not leave the country, he would not end his life… not now they had found each other.  
————————————————————————————————-

**Lysimachus**

With Kamilah’s necklace in hands, he paced around the beach. The same beach he took Amy a few nights earlier. If he only knew. All this time he was hanging out with his sister’s girlfriend.

Thinking about Kamilah brought him sadness. What was the point of living anymore? All these years of revenge were pointless. Kamilah hated him and she had all the reasons in the world. Unlike him, she found happiness somehow. She had Amy and her clan members. She didn’t need him in her life anymore.

He drove to his sister’s penthouse’s location, at the reception he left a letter and her necklace. She wished he was dead and he was willing to give her that. He’d leave her alone and fix all the trouble he caused in the last few weeks.

On his way to the airport, he passed through an empty dark alley near the Museum Of Natural History. Distantly, a young woman crying for help got his attention. He stopped his motorcycle and approached in silence. A man covered her mouth violently with his hand, while typing a password on a keyboard.

Lysimachus recognized that man. He knocked him down when he broke into the library. Jameson, that was his name. Was it possible that he was taking the girl for Gaius to feed? He had to find out.

When Jameson dragged the girl inside, Lysimachus attempted to type the password Priya informed him previously. The word “ _Incorrect_ ” flashed on the small display.

“ _Damn it,_ ” he thought. It’d take a while before he could crack the new password. Until then, it could be too late.

Distracted on his cellphone, he didn’t notice when a group of vampires surrounded him.

“So, Liam…” one of them announced their presence. “Who’s the tough guy now?”

Before he had time to reach for his daggers, a flash of concentrated UV light made him fall on the floor, squirming in pain. They left no time for him to react, attacking him in many different ways.

“Die,” a male vampire pointed a stake to his chest’s direction.

“Stop,” somebody else ordered.

He recognized his voice. It was Jax.

“Come on, Jax. He’s a vampire hunter, he deserves to die.”

“Stake him now!” The group shouted.

He tried to move but he was too weak. He hadn’t fed in days and now, he was seriously injured. He could tell he had multiple broken bones and several stabbing wounds.

“Not yet,” Jax announced. “I’m taking him to The Council. They’ll deal with him properly.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Amy**

It was over 5 AM when Kamilah got home. She disappeared right after dinner and nobody had any clues about her whereabouts.

Amy was waiting for her in the living room when she entered.

“Kamilah, where…” she opened her mouth to question her girlfriend, then she noticed an expression on her face that she had never seen before. A mix of sadness, confusion and pain. “What…”

Kamilah wrapped her arms around her, bringing her close for a hug. Amy could feel her heart beating fast.

“Amy, I know I…” Kamilah attempted to say between short breaths. “Please, just…”

She started sobbing. Amy was unable to express a reaction as that behavior was completely unexpected, coming from Kamilah. She started caressing her soft hair.

“I’m here for you,” she assured. “Why don’t we sit down and you tell me what happened?”

She led Kamilah to the couch, then she handed her a glass of water. Her hands were cold and shaking.

“What happened, Kamilah? I’ve never seen you act like this before. It must be deadly serious!”

“My brother, Amy…” she took a deep breath, “he’s alive.”

“You mean… how’s that even possible?! He’s a…”

“Vampire? Yes.”

Amy fell silent for a couple of minutes, trying to process the information. Then, she remembered Liam’s face. Of course, how didn’t she realize before? Some of his facial features were identical to Kamilah’s.

“And a Vampire Hunter?” Amy added.

Kamilah nodded.

“Hey,” Amy squeezed her hand, “I know it seems bad but I’ve been around him a little. Deep down, he’s a good person. With time I’m sure he’ll change his views.”

“He’s gone, Amy,” Kamilah started crying again. “He’s returning to Egypt where he plans to end his life. I spent the night looking for him but…”

“Calm down.”

Amy grabbed her cellphone and called the airport. She begged them to inform Kamilah if they spotted Lysimachus leaving the country and if possible, to prevent him from boarding.

“He’s too smart. I’m sure he must be headed to another city, to make it harder for us to find him.”

“We  _will_  find him, Kamilah. Even if we have to go to Egypt after him.”

Not longer after, Kamilah’s phone started to ring. A sparkle of hope glowed in her eyes but quickly faded away when she read Adrian’s number on the screen.

“Adrian, w-what…” she shouted. “Stop them, please. Don’t let them do anything until I get there, I’m begging you.”

As soon as she hung up the phone, she reached her car keys.

“Let’s go, Amy,” she said.

“Where?”

“The Council, they’ve captured him.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Smut Alert!  
> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

**Amy**

The way to The Cavern in the Central Park was quiet. Amy had never seen Kamilah so desperate and worried before. She attempted to start a conversation to lighten her mood, but a nod was the only response she got.  
Inside the old ruined temple, the other members of the Council were already sitting in circle, as usual. In the middle, Lysimachus was flanked by two vampires from Jax’s clan. His hands were tied.

It was the first time Amy looked at him as Kamilah’s brother. Not Liam, the newly turned vampire. He was hurt, really hurt. His white shirt was almost completely covered by blood. She spotted several cuts, bruises and some injuries that appeared to be stabbing wounds. When he looked back at her, she gulped.  
She turned her eyes to Kamilah, she was clenching her fists. For the first time, a hint of fear started to fill Amy’s mind, what if Lysimachus was killed? Kamilah wouldn’t be able to deal with the loss for a second time.  
“Kamilah,” Adrian greeted, “can we start?”  
She nodded, emotionless.   
“Wait,” Lysimachus interrupted, with a smirk on his face. “If you’re going to kill me, just do it. You don’t need a pathetic little ritual…”  
“Shut up,” Kamilah ordered.  
With a crackling voice, she opened the meeting session as usual. From time to time, Priya would exchange glances with both Kamilah and Lysimachus, expecting a dramatic outcome for her own amusement.  
“Everyone in favor of Ly… Liam’s execution, say  _aye_.”  
“Objection,” Lysimachus shouted.  
Kamilah rolled her eyes.  
“As you probably know, I’m not a New York resident. Therefore, I don’t live by The Council rules.”  
“Our rules for Vampire Hunters are plain and simple: kill at sight. The merely fact you’re here being judged is an act of mercy.”  
“Or…” Priya added. “ _Somebody_  is not familiar with the rules,” she glared at Jax.  
“Enough,” Kamilah angered. “Can we proceed?”  
One by one, The Council members voted in favor of Lysimachus’ execution.   
“Adrian?” Kamilah interrogated.  
“My vote is  _nay_ ,” he declared. “This man in front of us has a vast knowledge. A knowledge that could benefit us all. I’m proposing we keep him as prisoner. I’m offering a spot in my facility, Raines Corporation Laboratories.”  
Lysimachus let out a small, sadistic laugh.  
“No offense, buddy. I’d rather die than become your lab rat.”  
Kamilah was the last one to vote, she looked at Amy, then at her twin brother.  
“M-My vote is…” she stopped. Her hands shaking nervously. “My vote is  _nay_.”  
She rushed outside The Cavern. Amy was about to go after her when Adrian stopped her.  
“Amy, what’s going on?”  
“Adrian,” she approached him, whispering close to his ear, “he’s Kamilah’s brother.”  
Adrian turned his head to examine Lysimachus once again.  
“I knew it,” The Baron proudly concluded, “all this time they were working together.”  
“Come on, gramps,” Priya replied. “Are you that stupid? Look at him, it’s her twin brother! They even… look like,” she gave Lysimachus a disgusted look.  
“Oh…” Lester grinned, “didn’t you and him…”  
“Shut up!”  
“We can’t let this happen,” Amy begged to Adrian, “it’s going to destroy Kamilah.”  
“I know, but it’s four votes against two. What can we do?”  
While Amy tried to figure out a plan, Lysimachus continued to taunt the Council members.  
“You better pray my body doesn’t start to heal…” he laughed. “I can kill all of you in less than 10 seconds.”  
One of the vampires from Jax’s clan elbowed him hard on the stomach.  
“Why is it taking so long?!” The Baron questioned. “You aren’t plotting anything, are you Adrian?”  
Adrian looked at Amy, desperate and confused.  
“Please…” she asked one more time.  
“Amy, I…”  
He walked back to the circle, where the other members discussed how they should execute the Vampire Hunter. Without thinking, Amy approached.  
“Wait,” she ordered. “Let me say goodbye to him. We… we were friends.”  
“Who cares?” The Baron yelled. “This stupid girl…”  
“Her request is valid,” Adrian agreed. “Go, Amy.”  
She went to the middle of the circle where Lysimachus was being held. She pulled him into a tight hug. Her mind trying to focus on what he told her at the beach, that her visions had a purpose. The first time they met, she was able to connect her mind to his, if only she could do it again… She concentrated, feeling a surge of power coming from inside her. Suddently, she could clearly see him as Gaius prisoner, being tortured but trying to be strong, hoping he’d see his sister again someday.

“ _No… No…_ ” she thought, feeling she was being wrenched out from the vision.

“ _What are you doing, Amy?_ ” His voice asked, inside her mind.

“ _Feed from me._ ”

“ _I don’t feed from humans._ ”

“ _Please, only enough to make you stronger to get out of here. For Kamilah._ ”

Her last two words were able to convince him. She came back to reality as his fangs discretly perforated her neck. His bite was soft and careful.

“Hey, what is he doing?” Priya pointed out.

“He’s feeding from her,” The Baron yelled. “Stop him!”

It was too late. With only one move, Lysimachus escaped from the two vampires.

“Let’s get out of here,” Amy grabbed his hand, noticing he still looked weak.

The Baron appeared in front of them, pointing his gun at Lysimachus head. Amy felt a hand with long nails grabbing her arm violently.

“I call dibs on this one,” Priya declared.

“You can have her,” The Baron smirked. “I have business to solve with  _this one_!”

“Let them go,” Kamilah appeared at The Cavern’s entrance, holding her daggers.

“You betrayed the Council again, you…”

“Now,” her beautiful brown eyes adquired a blood-red coloration.

As The Baron lowered his gun, Kamilah helped her brother to get out of the temple, followed by Amy. She threw her car keys to her girlfriend.

“Drive,” she demanded. “As fast as you can.”

Amy nodded, following her order.

————————————————————————————————-

**Kamilah**

It was the second time Kamilah defied the Council in only four months. She had just declared war, she knew. Now she’d have to deal with the consequences. They’d probably kill her clan members, after taking over her company and her possessions. After an entire hour in silence, lost in her thoughts, reality finally hit her.

“Amy, where are you driving to?” She asked. “We need somewhere safe to hide.”

“At first I had no idea,” Amy answered. “Now I’m heading to my hometown.”

“Is this your idea of safety? Your mother hates me.”

“Uhhh… About that… Can we discuss later?”

“Please,” Lysimachus whined from the backseat, “the last thing I need is to hear you two having a couple fight.”

“You, shut up,” Kamilah frowned. “You’re not escaping. We have a lot to discuss.”

After two hours, Amy finally stopped the car at her grandparents’ lake house. She assured Kamilah they barely used it, except for rare occasions to reunite the grandchildren.

It wasn’t very big or luxurious, but it seemed very cozy. Before entering, Kamilah appreciated the lake view in front of her. Amy stood by her side, holding her hand. They exchanged a quick, gentle kiss, before a burning sensation ran through every part of Kamilah’s body, reminding her that she couldn’t stay in the sunlight.

“We should go inside,” she lamented.

Amy gave her an understanding nod.

After they accomodated Lysimachus in one of the bedrooms, Amy left again. She drove to the city to buy some food and supplies.

Resting on an armchair, Amy’s mother words resounded inside Kamilah’s mind.  _Things Kamilah won’t be able to provide you_. She was just facing one of them. She’d never be able to take Amy on a day-time date. It had never bothered her until now.

“What are you thinking of?” Her brother interrupted her thoughts.

“None of your business.”

She went to the bathroom, looking for a first-aid kit.

“Are you still pissed at me?” Lysimachus asked when she returned.

Kamilah sat next to him on the bed, ripping off his shirt.

“Yes and I’ll probably be for the next few centuries.”

She examined his wounds. The small amount of blood he drank from Amy wasn’t enough to heal them immediately. It’d take a few hours before his health was completely restored.

“Why exactly?”

“Do you need reasons? Because I have a list.”

She started cleaning his wounds with an antiseptic solution.

“Ouch,” he complained. “Okay, you have all the reasons in the world to hate me. This is why I was leaving.”

“This is the main reason why I’m angry. When did you become so selfish? You were going to take your own life to make me feel guilty!”

“I’m sorry, sis. But I felt I was no longer part of your life. You have a successful carreer, an amazing girlfriend, a steady life… My life is the opposite from that, I’m always moving from place to place, seeking for revenge for… Something that wasn’t even real.”

“You will always be part of my life. We can change that… Why don’t you stay around for a while? Trying to live as I live?”

“By The Council rules? Never.”

“Only two rules? You won’t turn humans without The Council’s permission and you’ll only feed from consenting humans.”

“I’ve never turned a single person before. And about feeding…  _consenting vampires_  and we have a deal.”

“I’m not sure if the others will accept it…” She sighed, after a while she let out a small laugh. “Doesn’t it taste weird?”

“Hmmm,” he reflected before answering. “Weak, bland… Watery I’d say. Would you like to try?” He joked, offering Kamilah his arm.

“No thanks,” she pushed his arm away, smiling.

She looked at the door, Amy was standing there, watching them. After she told her brother to rest, she joined her girlfriend in the kitchen.

“So…” Amy said. “This smile on your face. It’s the longest I’ve ever seen.”

“It’s not,” Kamilah protested.

“Come on, admit that you’re happy.”

“Not really, Amy. We’ve got a long way ahead. The Council will…”

“Why don’t we forget this for a couple of days, huh?” Amy placed a kiss on her lips. “I planned a special night for us.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Amy**

“And…” Amy told. “You can open your eyes now.”

Kamilah slowly opened her eyes, peeking at the plate in front of her.

“I finally managed to cook for you.”

“Okay, darling,” Kamilah cocked her head to the side, intrigued. “What is that exactly?”

“Mac n’ Cheese?”

“Oh.”

“Don’t give me this look. You’re gonna like it.”

“I’m not entirely sure.”

After some hesitation, she finally tried a portion of Amy’s dish.

“Well, Amy. I can’t say it’s my favorite but… I actually liked it.”

Amy tasted a little bit of her food.

“Oh my god, I did it. I finally cooked a decent food!” Amy celebrated. “I mean, there was the dinner from last night…”

“Amy, confess. You bought food from Adrian’s restaurant.”

“How did you figure out?”

“I’ve eaten in that restaurant a hundred times. I know the food.”

“Ops,” Amy smiled, telling her how she got distracted by Lily’s visit.

In truth, she felt horrible for asking Lily to monitor Kamilah’s steps. Somehow she hoped that special night would relieve this guilt.

“And now…” She announced, “dessert.”

Amy placed a large bowl of ice cream in front of Kamilah, who smiled broadly at her girlfriend’s efforts to impress her.

After dinner, she took her Kamilah for a tour in the surroundings of the lake house.

“That tree,” she pointed, “is where I fell down and broke my arm. Summer had just began and I spent the rest of it at home, grounded.”

“Getting in trouble since early, huh?”

“And that bench,” Amy proceeded, “is where I had my first kiss. With this guy from school, Jayden. Three days later I found out he also kissed my best friend.”

“I think I know how to fix it,” Kamilah dragged her by the hand. As they sat on the bench, she involved her in a deep, but soft kiss. “Better now?”

“Definitely!”

Amy continued with the tour, leading Kamilah into the dark forest.

“Where are you taking me?” She questioned.

“To the best part of our night.”

“Amy, we’re going to get lost.”

“Calm down, we’re almost there.”

After a few minutes, another property was visible. Amy guided Kamilah to the back of the house, where a hot tube was ready for use.

“I came here earlier and prepared everything.”

“Does this house belong to your family too?”

“Oh no, to be honest we never found out who’s the owner.”

Amy started taking her clothes off. Kamilah looked at her in shock.

“Aren’t you coming?” Amy asked.

“Amy, if the owners arrive we’re in trouble.”

“They’re never home, trust me. I’ve been here a lot of times.”

“In the company of?” Kamilah crossed her arms, furrowing her brows.

“I’ll tell you if you join me,” Amy winked.

Kamilah rolled her eyes before getting rid of her clothes.

“You’re a bad influence, Amy,” she said, accomodating herself by her girlfriend side.

“Am I?” Amy bit her lower lip in a provocative way.

“Yes, jail time for trespassing is six months to…”

Amy censored her with a passionate kiss. Some seconds later, Kamilah finally gave in to the moment.

“I can help you to relax,” Amy whispered in her ear.

“Oh really?”

“Turn around.”

Facing Kamilah’s back, Amy started to massage her shoulders, starting softly and then applying a deep pressure, as she liked.

“Hmmm, I feel more relaxed right now,” Kamilah told when she finished.

“Good… Is there anything else you want?”

“You know what I want.”

“This?” Amy straddled her, then leaned her face to kiss her, but Kamilah took the initiative first, kissing her fiercely. Shivers ran all through Amy’s body as Kamilah’s tongue stroke hers and her fangs carefully nibbed her lip.

She wrapped her arms tighly around Kamilah’s neck when her soft hands traveled down to her waist and next, to her tight. With her fingers, she started a teasing game, driving Amy crazy.

“Kamilah…” She pulled away from her mouth, “stop…”

“Completely?”

“No, stop teasing.”

Kamilah gave her a mischievous smirk.

“Then whisper in my ear  _exactly_  what you want me to do.”

Amy followed her order, finishing her sentence with “ _please_ ”. With this one last word, Kamilah kissed her hungrily, while her hands sent Amy to a state of ecstasy.

When they finished, she rested in Kamilah’s arms, appreciating the moment in silence. Suddently, all she could hear was Kamilah’s voice in a quiet tone.

“I love you.”

Hours later, they were back to the house. Amy sat on the bed, expecting Kamilah’s presence to decide what movie to watch.

“His wounds have healed,” she informed, entering the bedroom. “But he’s still asleep.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine when he wakes up,” Amy assured her.

“You’re right. Amy, I forgot to thank you for saving him. I was so nervous I didn’t even know what to do.”

"It was crazy, for a second I thought I wouldn’t be able to do it. And also, I had Adrian’s help somehow. When he let me approach your brother, I think he knew what I was planning.”

“Adrian…” Kamilah sighed. “I wish I had another chance to talk to him. We’re not on good terms after your dinner last night.”

“Why?” Amy wondered. “Did you guys fight?”

“Kind of. He suggested I could be working for Gaius.”

Amy scratched her head in silence.

“Actually… it’s not his fault, Kamilah. I was the one who told him that.”

She confessed about the video footage and the texts she read. Kamilah looked at her in silence. When she spoke, there was no anger in her voice, only disappointment.

“You don’t trust me.”

“No,” Amy tried to explain herself. “Of course I do. I was just… worried about you.”

“Hours, Amy. I asked you a few hours so I could tell you what was going on. And what did you do? You violated my privacy, you betrayed me.”

“I’m so sorry, okay? Later I realized how stupid and immature I was.”

Kamilah sighed in frustration.

“Is it how you see me? Why did you assume I was meeting Gaius in first place?”

“I… I remembered another one of those visions. You seemed to be really close to him. Romantically close.”

Kamilah’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t answer. She stood near the window, paralyzed.

Amy approached her. She moved away, avoiding her touch.

“Maybe your mother was right,” she said. “It’ll never work.”

“W-What? Kamilah, don’t say that…”

“We belong to different worlds, Amy. Please, go back to your parents’ house. I’ll talk to Adrian, he’ll let you know when it’s safe for you to return to your job in New York.”

“Are you breaking up with me?”

“Yes.”

“But…” Tears streamed down Amy’s face. “Only hours ago you said that you love me.”

“I do, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Lysimachus**

Opening his eyes and seeing his sister, sitting only a few steps away from him still sounded unreal. Lysimachus wondered if it was another hallucination.

“You woke up,” she said.

He smiled, concluding she was really there.

“How are you feeling, brother?”

“Good…” He sat down, with some effort, “Sore and thirsty, but good.”

Kamilah placed a tray in front of him with the breakfast she prepared. She also offered him a glass containing blood.

“Only until you adapt to your new  _diet_ ,” she warned. “But you won’t feed from my neck.”

“I know, it’d be weird,” he drank all the blood in one sip. “Thank you, sister.”

Restored, he walked to the window appreciating the view. Kamilah joined him.

“I got you some new clothes,” she told. “Get dressed. We need to go.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know… Virginia, maybe.”

“Can’t we go somewhere…  _Vampire-free_?”

Kamilah rolled her eyes at him.

“I mean, it’s not only about us. There’s Amy, we need to think about her safety.”

“She’s not coming.”

“Why?”

“We broke up last night.”

“Wait… What?”

Kamilah told him, without much details, what happened.

“Kamilah, she’s just a girl. She was worried about you.”

“She betrayed me. How could she even consider I was meeting Gaius?”

“Because he’s a manipulative son of a bitch and she thought he could be stalking you?’

"You don’t understand…”

“Then tell me,” he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

Downstairs, her phone started to beep. She complained about how she always forgot to turn it off.

When she came back, her eyes showed concern and fear.

“Adrian texted me,” Kamilah said. “We must come back immediately.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- I split this chapter in two parts. Chapter 9 will be the last chapter.  
> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.

**Kamilah**

As the burning sensation irradiated to her entire body, Kamilah closed her eyes. Only one thought came to her mind:  _Amy_. She recapitulated every detail, attempting to relive those memories. Starting by the day she met her in Adrian’s conference room.

“ _The scarab is a symbol of rebirth, if I’m recalling my college class correctly?_ ” 

Amy had the most gorgeous eyes she had ever seen, Kamilah noticed, when she handed her the scarab.

Then, she remembered their first kiss at Ahmanet Financial’s rooftop, their first night together at Adrian’s cabin…

“ _I think you know what I want._ “

She couldn’t help smiling when she remembered the day they officially became a couple.

“ _Kamilah, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?_ ”

It was almost like she could hear Amy’s voice remembering all those moments.

There were the fights, the making up… The day Amy moved in to her penthouse and changed her entire world. What she wouldn’t do to spend one more day with that goofy mortal she fell in love with.

Now it was too late…

_12 hours earlier_

“How did you become stronger than me?” Lysimachus protested, adjusting the security belt. “I’ve been a vampire longer than you.”

“Deal with that, brother,” Kamilah taunted. “You may be the oldest vampire, but I’m more disciplined. While you were out there hunting vampires, I was training.”

He mocked her by rolling his eyes, like she often did.

“What about the witchcraft stuff?” Kamilah was curious to know.

“Let’s just say I had a partnership with witches, in trade they taught me a thing or two.”

Kamilah spent the day bonding with her twin brother, they filled each other in about the 2038 years they spent separated. She informed him about botany and finances, while he taught her some fighting strategies, effective against other vampires.

Now they followed the way back to New York City, where they were supposed to meet Adrian at 10 PM. During the next two hours, all Lysimachus did was remind her of Amy. He insisted they should go back and pick her up.

“I said no,” she grumbled.

“Kamilah, for god’s sake, stop doing this! Stop boycotting your own happiness because of Gaius. He has taken enough of you.”

“This isn’t about Gaius. Amy doesn’t trust me.”

“Maybe you should stop hiding things from her.”

“If I keep some things from her, it’s for her own safety or because she wouldn’t understand.”

“Think about it, sister. We’ve been reunited for a couple of days and you’ve told me everything. Some things I don’t understand, but I also don’t judge you. You know, I haven’t been a role model either.”

Even if Kamilah wasn’t too proud to admit she wanted Amy back, she couldn’t return. In 40 minutes they’d arrive in New York, just in time for the meeting. She wondered if Adrian was going to tell her the war between clans had started, or even about Gaius. Anyways, in that moment, Amy was safer in her hometown.

She tried to pay attention to the news on the radio, but Lysimachus changed the station. One of Amy’s favorite songs was coincidentally playing.

“I swear,” she shouted, “if you touch this radio one more time I’ll chop your hand off.”

“Why? Does this song remind you of Amy?”

“Shut up.”

Kamilah pressed some buttons, returning the radio to the news station.

“Kamilah, look out!” Her brother yelled.

All Kamilah had time to see was a black car, out of control and in a extremely high speed, coming from the opposite direction. She still tried to pull away, but they got hit. The collision sent their car flying miles away from the road.

————————————————————————————————- 

**Amy**

After she got home, in the middle of the night, Amy locked herself in her bedroom. She didn’t want to hear her parents had to say. Their satisfaction when they found out she failed. In only one day, she lost her girlfriend and probably her job. Would Adrian still want her as his assistant when things came back to normal? And how would she feel everytime Kamilah visited his office?

She spent the rest of the day staring at her cellphone screen, waiting for any signs of Kamilah. When she called her around 7 PM, she coldly told her she was coming back to New York. Nothing else. She didn’t give her time to speak or beg for another chance.

She was curled in bed crying, when her mother called her downstairs for dinner. She was unable to eat and the fact each one of her family members were staring at her didn’t help.

“Yes,” she sighed. “Kamilah and I broke up, are you guys happy now?”

She rushed back to her bedroom in tears. Her mother followed right after. She sat by her side on the bed, caressing her hair.

“Amy, I told you… She was using you this whole time. People like her change partners like they change their designer clothes.”

“It was MY fault, mom. I ruined everything!“

“Honey, I get it… it’s absolutely fine you’re confused. Like I said, it can be just a phase. Why don’t you take some time to sort out your feelings?”

“Mom, get out. Now.”

As soon as her mother left, Amy started feeling unwell. Not only her head hurt intensely, but she also felt tightness in her chest and a feeling of uneasiness. She turned on the television, watching some epidodes of her favorite TV show always helped her to relax. Two episodes later, she fell asleep.

She was having an agitated night, with all sorts of weird dreams. Most of them including her life in New York, Kamilah and Lily. Suddenly, the scenario changed. Amy saw herself walking on an empty road, then following a path to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere. The building was crumbling, it seemed to be affected by a fire before. Some parts were intact though, including this room with enormous windows that attracted her attention for some reason. She approached, looking inside.

Lying on the floor, two vampires succumbed to the sunlight. She looked closer and…

“Kamilah!” She yelled, recognizing her girlfriend and her twin brother.

Amy punched the windows but the glass wouldn’t break. It was indestructible.

In a matter of seconds, Kamilah converted into ashes. Right in front her eyes.

She woke up feeling suffocated. Her entire body was shivering. It wasn’t a nightmare, she knew. It was another vision.

Amy grabbed her phone on the bedside table and dialed Kamilah’s number. She didn’t answer. Without hesitating, she went downstairs. The first thing she spotted was her mother’s car keys. She wrote a quick note and left, headed to New York.

————————————————————————————————-

**Lysimachus**

“I told you it was a trap,” he told Kamilah.

“Adrian would never do this,” she argued.

After being unconscious for hours, he woke up in that empty room. The moonlight penetrated directly through the large windows, lightening his surroundings. The floor was covered by ashes. Being alive for 2063 years, he knew those were vampire remains. He and his sister were trapped in a death chamber. As soon as the sun rose, they’d be dead.

First, they tried to open the door but they couldn’t. By his experience with technology, he could tell only a button, at the other side of the wall, could open it.

The windows were also unbreakable. Some kind of advanced bulletproof glass was used, to make sure vampires wouldn’t be able to escape.

Lysimachus sat on the floor, exhausted and panting. His hands were broken from punching the windows. He watched as his bones started to heal. Kamilah sat by his side.

“I have no idea where we are,” she lamented. “Only a sadistic monster could’ve designed a room like this!”

“I used to have one, back in Europe. But I always gave them tools to commit suicide before. They say the sunlight is the most painful death for a vampire.”

“How compassionate of you, brother.”

He looked at her in silence.

“Will you ever forgive me? I mean, I can’t say I regret the things I’ve done but… I don’t want you to hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I could’ve followed the same path.”

Kamilah looked away, as if she was ready to ask something that, until now, she wasn’t prepared to hear the answer.

“A man known as The Wolf of Venice… Did he work for you?”

“No, I despised him. Rumors say he had an alliance with Gaius, taking down some of his rivals. Why?”

“Nothing,” Kamilah let out a relieved sigh.

“Do you think he… Gaius trapped us in here?” Lysimachus asked.

“No. Whenever he decides to get a revenge against me, it’ll be long and painful. Believe me.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Amy**

On her way back to New York, Amy kept trying to call Kamilah. A part of her knew it was useless, but the other part hoped her vision was only a nightmare.

Listening to Kamilah’s voice on the voicemail made tears roll down from her eyes. What if she was never able to hear that soft, sweet voice again?

Unable to hold her emotions, she spoke after the beep:

“I just wanted you to know how much I love you. I’m so sorry for being stupid! Oh my god, I was just worried about you… Worried that you were in such a big trouble that you were trying to protect me. Hurting you was never my intention, Kamilah. I trust you, I’d trust you my entire life and my future, if I had another chance.”

Shortly after she finished the message, her phone rang. She put it on the loudspeaker to answer.

“ _Amy,_ ” Adrian said on the other side of the line, “ _are you alright?_ ”

“Yes, Adrian… Why?”

“ _I just received a phonecall. There was an accident on the road, the police found Kamilah’s car completely destroyed._ ”

Amy gulped.

“Is she okay, Adrian? Please… Tell me she is!”

“ _The car was empty, they weren’t able to locate her._ ”

Amy told Adrian about her vision and how she thought something terrible had happened. He agreed with her, pointing that Kamilah was supposed to meet him 5 hours ago and never showed up.

She went directly to Raines Corporation, where together they tried to figure out where Kamilah could be.

“Describe everything, Amy,” Adrian asked. “Everything you remember.”

While he analyzed some maps on his desk, Amy sat motionless on the couch. Lily involved her in a hug, assuring Kamilah would be alright.

Adrian punched the desk in frustration. Every possible location he could think of didn’t match Amy’s vision.

“Don’t you remember anything else? One minor detail that could lead us to the right place?”

She shook her head in denial.

Amy closed her eyes again, focusing on the vision. She needed to remember, she needed to be there again…

“Come on, Amy,” Lily encouraged. “You can do this.”

She closed her eyes, concentrating her thoughts on Kamilah.

That inner force she could not control started to pull her into the vision… She saw the road, the warehouse, the room… Everything started to move too fast… her head was spinning… she was being wrenched out of the vision again, when she saw it, distantly…

“A sign!” She shouted. “It’s kinda hard to read but… I think it says  _Property of Senator Vega_.”

She opened her eyes, feeling tired and lightheaded. Adrian narrowed his eyes and typed furiously on his computer.

“Do you have any idea where could it be?”

“Yes, Kamilah and I always suspect Vega had this place he used to torture his prisoners, but we had no idea where it was.”

He showed Amy a picture in the map. She confirmed that was indeed the place from her vision.

“Let’s go, we’re running out of time. It’s almost 6 AM and the sun is starting to rise.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Kamilah**

_“Dear Amy,”_

Kamilah looked nervously at her cellphone screen. She was almost out of batteries and couldn’t find words for her goodbye note.

Outside, the sun started to rise distantly.

“What are you doing?” Lysimachus asked.

“Leaving a goodbye note to Amy. Or trying, at least.”

“Do you think somebody will find our ashes? They think we ran away.”

“Adrian will, and Amy. When she finds out I’m not in New York, as I told.”

She turned her attention back to the note. Not even for a last time she could give Amy a reason to smile. She wasn’t the kind that usually demonstrated her feelings, but she loved that blonde little mortal. In only four months she was able to bring her humanity back. She introduced her to an entire new world, with junk food and videogames, and she enjoyed every part of it.

_“Dear Amy,_

_I’ve lived for 2063 years but the last four months held my best memories. By your side I found my humanity and a new meaning to my life. Now I know I’ve only made so far because I had to find you. Thank you for making me a better person._

_I love you.”_

She pressed save and sat by her brother’s side, resting her head on his shoulder.

“It seems like your dream is coming true after all, brother. Together, we’ll watch the sunrise one last time.”

“Me and my stupid mouth.”

The sunlight rays started entering through the windows, reaching the vampire siblings skin and causing a small burning sensation. They knew it would only increase with time, turning into an unbearable pain.

“How long do you think we have left?” Lysimachus wondered.

“An a hour and half, I’d say.”

“I’m glad we found each other, sister.”

“Me too.”

They held hands, waiting for their imminent fate.

————————————————————————————————-

**Amy**

It was 7:15 AM when Amy and Adrian finally located Kamilah and Lysimachus. Both of them unconscious and in a severe state of heatstroke.

Back in their penthouse, Amy pressed a wet towel against Kamilah’s forehead. Her body temperature was still high, despite the cold shower and the air conditioner. Her skin was no longer red, indicating some improvement.

Amy didn’t know what she was or why she had those visions, but she was glad to have those powers. Otherwise, Kamilah would be dead.

An hour later, Kamilah started regaining her conscience.

“Amy,” she muttered, opening her eyes with effort. “You saved me.”

“Yes, I did,” Amy smiled. “See? Even poweful ancient vampires need to be saved sometimes.”

“You’re a badass.”

“It seems like you finally learned what it means.”

Kamilah let out a small laugh. Amy squeezed her hand.

“How’s Lysimachus?” Kamilah wanted to know.

“He’s fine,” Amy told. “He woke up a while ago. He’s already picking on Adrian.”

Amy offered her some blood, which she accepted. Althought she was thirsty, her bite was soft and controlled. When she finished feeding, she pulled Amy for a kiss.

“Looks like someone is feeling better already,” Amy smiled.

“I don’t wanna break up with you, Amy. I’m sorry.”

“It was my fault. Can we just forget it?”

Kamilah kissed her again as answer.

“I thought I was never going to see you again. I even wrote a goodbye note.”

“No,” Amy opened her mouth in shock. “You did?! I need to read this right now.”

“Don’t you dare…” Kamilah tried to get up, but Amy was already gone.

————————————————————————————————-

**Kamilah**

Later, Adrian joined Kamilah in the bedroom. He told her Lysimachus was driving him crazy and giving him all sorts of nicknames.

“He’s jealous because I told him you’re like a brother to me.”

“As long as he doesn’t hurt me or anybody else.”

“He won’t. He promised.”

“About that…”

Adrian told her what the meeting was about. He talked to other members of The Council to arrange a peace offer. They wanted to reunite with Kamilah to settle a deal.

“They will not kill my brother,” she angered.

“We won’t let that happen,” Adrian assured.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- English is my second language, please forgive me for any mistakes.  
> \- Hope you enjoy it, your reviews and likes are always appreciated.  
> \- I’m going to miss writing this fic :´)

**Amy**

Kamilah had been inside Adrian’s conference room for hours, settling a deal with the members of The Council. At Raines Corporation restaurant, Amy  waited impatiently. She watched the sky while sipping a drink, still trying to find some sense in her newly discovered powers.

“So, this is the part where we get properly introduced and you tell me your true intentions with my sister?” A male voice interrupted.

Lysimachus sat in front of her, with a drink in hands.

“What are you doing here?” She asked. “Kamilah told you to stay home. There’s at least 3 people inside that room petitioning for your death!“

Kamilah’s twin brother had been staying with them in the penthouse until he found a new place to live.

He shrugged, drinking his entire glass in one sip. Amy shook her head and smiled.

“Lysimachus,” he extended his hand, going forward with his joke.

“Amy,” she sighed, shaking his hand.

With narrowed eyes, he crossed his arms and give her a threatening look.

“Amy, huh? Tell me, Amy, what are your intentions with my sister?”

“Only the best.”

“Is it a serious thing or you’re only having fun?”

“We’ve been living together for a few weeks now, can it get any more serious?” She lowered her voice. “But I must admit, we do have a lot of fun.”

“Ugh, I didn’t need to know that!” Lysimachus complained.

Amy bursted in to a laugh.

A few minutes later, Kamilah appeared right behind her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“I thought I was clear when I told you to stay home,” she scolded him.

“I was bored. There was nothing to do!”

“Will you ever do things as I tell you, brother?” She rolled her eyes, joining them on the table.

“Probably not,” he smirked.

After deciding what to order, Amy was curious to know how the meeting had gone.

“How was it with The Council?” She asked.

“I did what I had to do,” Kamilah answered. “About you…”

She glared at Lysimachus.

“No hunting. No turning without The Council’s permission. Feeding only from consenting humans. Do you understand?”

“Otherwise?”

“We’re both getting executed. I signed a term where I’m taking resposability for all your future actions.”

A trait of fear appeared on Amy’s face. The Council was far from ethical. It’d be easy for The Baron to forge a situation and blame on Lysimachus. This way, could get a revenge against both of the siblings at once.

She expressed her concerns later, at their penthouse when she was alone with Kamilah.

“I know that, Amy,” she said. “But don’t worry, I’ll be ready in case it happens.”

————————————————————————————————-

**Kamilah**

Kamilah spent the night awake, reflecting on the outcome of her brother’s return. She had just signed a contract where she was taking resposability for all his future actions. Besides that, she agreed to vote in favor of Priya and The Baron in all their future petitions. Lysimachus killed a lot of members from their clans, they’d need to replace them at some point. She also commited to provide funds, through Ahmanet Financial, for The Baron’s future business. There was a lot at stake, she knew. Not only she was risking her company, but her life too. But what she wouldn’t do to ensure her brother’s safety? Now she had him back in her life, she finally felt complete again.

They weren’t able to figure out so far who attempted to take Lysimachus and Kamilah’s lives. All the other members of The Council had solid alibis. Adrian promised to help in the investigation.

"Cannot sleep?” Her twin brother emerged from the kitchen.

“No,” she answered. “There’s a lot in my mind right now.”

"Don’t worry, sister. I won’t let anybody hurt you or Amy.”

“It’s about you I’m worried about.”

“Oh, believe me. It’s not the first time people want me dead. It happens quite often.”

Kamilah give him a small, concerned smile.

“I’m not going anywhere, sister,” he placed her hands on top on hers. “I promise.”

“I’m not so sure…” A small smile appeared on the corners of Kamilah’s mouth. “You stole Amy’s ice cream. She’s going to kill you.”

“I better buy a replacement before she notices, right?”

In the morning, she prepared Amy a special surprise. After serving her breakfast in bed, Kamilah handed her a small envelope.

“Wait…” Amy said before opening. “Is this what I’m thinking?”

“I figured out we both deserve a break after everything that happened over the last few weeks.”

Amy opened the envelope and grinned.

“We’re going to the Maldives!”

She wrapped her arms around Kamilah’s neck, involving her in a intense and loving kiss.

————————————————————————————————-

**Lysimachus _\- 2 weeks later_**

“We need to get rid of this before Kamilah arrives,” Lysimachus told Adrian. “If she finds out we’ve been tracking Gaius, she’ll freak out.”

He started unpinning the evidence they collected from the board to take to his bedroom.

“She already knows,” Adrian confessed.

“Really? Why did you have to tell her? You’re such a snitch!”

“You know how hard is to keep things from Kamilah. Also, she enlisted me to keep an eye on you.”

“I’m 2063 years old, Raines. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Moments later, the door opened. Kamilah and Amy returned from their trip earlier than expected. The first thing his twin sister did was to yell at him for hours. And then, she scolded Adrian for helping him with the investigation.

“Have you been feeding human blood, at least?” She questioned.

“Hmmm yes,” Lysimachus answered. “Vampire blood only on weekends.”

“Really?!” Kamilah rolled her eyes. “I mean it, brother. If the Council finds out…”

His laugh interrupted her.

“Chill out, sister,” he hugged her. “I’m joking. I promised I won’t let you down.”

“Idiot.”

“Now tell me, how was the trip?” He led her to the couch. “What are the news you wanted to share?”

“It was great,” Kamilah told. “Even thought we couldn’t go out during the day, we found a lot of activities to do after the sunset.”

She showed him some pictures in her camera. They had a romantic dinner on a private island, enjoyed a movie theater outdoors and even went scuba-diving at night.

“We saw some species that are only seen after the nightfall!” Knowing Kamilah, he knew that was her favorite part.

“Okay… And what are the news?”

“I just told you.”

“About the scuba-diving?”

Kamilah nodded.

“You went on such a romantic trip and you didn’t ask her to marry you? Come on, Adrian even suggested we should plan a celebration.”

“In the right time, brother. Let’s not rush things. Right now we should focus on something else. Why don’t you show me the evidence you collected?

————————————————————————————————-

**Amy**

Late night, Amy found Kamilah alone in her home office, observing some pictures and papers.

"Why aren’t you in bed yet?” Amy wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek. “We’re going to be late for work tomorrow, Ms. Sayeed.”

“I had forgotten it’s your first day as my assistant tomorrow,” Kamilah said placing the papers back inside her drawer.

“I’m excited… And nervous. I don’t want to be only your assistant, Kamilah. I want to be your partner, I want to help you achieve all your goals and make your company grow, since it really matters to you.”

Kamilah opened a wide grin, all the tension in her face disappeared.

“You’re so sweet. I can only thank you for being here for me. I mean, I know I’m not the girlfriend of the year but… I love you, Amy.”

“I love you too.”

They exchanged a long, passionate kiss.

“What were you looking at before I arrived?” Amy asked. “No more secrets, remember?”

“No more secrets,” Kamilah sighed. “Gaius is back, Amy. Lysimachus and Adrian found him, check out this pictures.”

She handed Amy some pictures. A shiver went down her spine when she recognized the man from her visions.

“Who do you think that has set him free?”

“Jameson,” Kamilah answered. “We have enough evidence that he has been capturing mortals and taking them to the library.”

“I never trusted him!” Amy snarled. “And what are you guys planning to do?”

“We’ve schedule a Council meeting to decide.”

Amy walked to the window, looking pensive at the city. She felt Kamilah’s body pressed up against hers from behind.

“One thing I’m sure,” Kamilah spoke softly, close to her ear. “Whatever comes next, we’ll be facing it together.”

Holding hands, they headed to the penthouse’s master suite, without even notice a pair of glowing red eyes observed them a nearby alley.


End file.
